


Emerging

by YappiChick



Category: Stargate: Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-08
Updated: 2010-12-27
Packaged: 2017-10-14 04:09:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/145204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YappiChick/pseuds/YappiChick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Major Teyla Emmagan makes the most difficult decision of her life: to join the Atlantis expedition.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the [](http://community.livejournal.com/scifibigbang/profile)[**scifibigbang**](http://community.livejournal.com/scifibigbang/) . Thanks to the Teyla Appreciation Thread over at GW.

September 8, 2002  
Central Afghanistan

The heat of the sun was nearly as unforgiving as the Taliban.

It was another sweltering day in Afghanistan; the sweat pooled on the base of Teyla Emmagan’s neck, despite the fact she was in the cabin of a helicopter, cool air blowing on her face. The day had been uneventful, but successful; she had no contact with the Taliban as she delivered the much-needed medical supplies to a local village.

Now she was heading back to base where she would reload her chopper with supplies and head back into the harsh Afghan land. It was difficult, but satisfying work.

Teyla landed her helicopter and exited the cabin, stretching out her legs. Several other officers started to load her chopped with supplies. To her surprise, Major Chris Halling was waiting for her in the hangar.

Instantly, she was on alert. Halling would not be out here unless something was wrong. Though they were part of the same unit, Halling could usually be found dealing with the local people, trying to earn their trust.

Quickly, she walked to him. “What is wrong?” she demanded.

Halling pulled her to the side of the hangar, away from the other pilots. “Captain Lorne’s helicopter was shot down at 1400 hours as he was traveling from Arghandab,” he told her quietly.

Teyla froze. Evan had been shot down? Was he safe? She looked around the hangar, which was decidedly inactive for a rescue mission. “Has he been recovered? Do we know if he is all right?”

Halling frowned. He knew she would take the news with difficulty. “We don’t know, Teyla. We lost contact with him shortly after he went down.” He took a deep breath. “The rescue mission is on hold. The area has too many insurgents to authorize a mission. We are working with the locals in the area, trying to come up with a plan.”

Teyla’s eyes widened. They intended to leave Evan out there? “Then I volunteer, sir.”

Her response was not unexpected. Halling knew the loyalty she felt to those in her unit ran deep. “I know how you feel, Teyla. I already offered myself, but the decision still stands. There is to be no rescue mission of Captain Lorne until the Pentagon gives the ok,” Halling responded softly.

“Halling,” she said, not willing to give up, “what if he is injured? Or the Taliban kidnaps him? Do you realize what they would do to him?”

He gently placed a hand on her shoulder, understanding her pain. Their unit was close; to have one of them missing was painful. “It is not out decision to make. We have our orders, now we must follow them.”

His answer didn’t satisfy her; it only added fuel to her desire to save Evan. “I want to talk to Colonel Francis.”

“Teyla,’ he said softly, “you need to let it go.”

She did not intend to do any such thing. “You know Evan would do no less for any of us,” she hissed.

He sighed. Teyla had always been protective of those in her unit, almost to a fault. “Let the fighting die down, then you will have clearance to save Captain Lorne,” he assured her. Halling looked to her helicopter which had been restocked with supplies. “Perhaps things will change when you have returned.”

Teyla could not understand how he could be so unaffected by this. She looked at him for a second before seeing the worry in his eyes. She realized he was worrying as much as she was, but they were bound by the orders given to them. She nodded. “Perhaps they will.”

Halling offered a weak smile, knowing how difficult it was for her to say those words. “Travel safely,” he said, putting his hand softly on her shoulder.

“I will,” she said, turning around and walking back to her helicopter.

By the time she had turned on the engines, she had already decided she would find Lorne. Once she had dropped off the medical supplies, she would take a diversion and rescue her fallen comrade. She would deal with the repercussions later.

Thankfully, her flight to Senjaray was uneventful. She delivered all of the supplies to the grateful village and again she was in the air. Her adrenaline pumped through her as she steered the chopper away from the base, towards where Lorne was last heard from.

As expected, not two minutes had passed before the base was attempting to contact her. With a flick of the wrist, she cut her radio off. “I am sorry,” she whispered, hoping that Halling would understand how she felt; she could not leave one of her fellow soldiers behind.

Soon, she found the wreckage of Lorne’s helicopter. Even from this distance, she could see the steady trail of smoke rising from it; he must have taken a direct hit. Cautiously, she looked around for any enemy fighters; the terrain appeared clear. In the distance, she saw what looked like another fallen chopper and a small village. Perhaps Evan headed that way.

She flew towards the wreckage when the sound of gunfire interrupted her survey of the land. Suddenly, the helicopter began to spin. Knowing the helicopter was going to crash, Teyla did all she could to control the crash.

The impact was less than what she expected and she managed to come out of the crash relatively uninjured. She landed grabbed her P-90 and her backpack, full of supplies, and exited the cabin.

The sun rays were atrociously hot. She cautiously made her way to where Evan’s chopper had been shot down. Sweat was already beginning to bead on Teyla’s neck as she approached the wreckage. She peered inside; no one was in there. She did note, however, the small pool of blood that was on the floor of the cabin.

Evan had been injured.

Quickly, she scanned the sand for clues to which direction he had gone. There, to the east, she saw his heavy footprints and every so often, a drop of blood. She followed the path carefully.

The sounds of a car’s engine caused her to flatten herself against the scorching sand. She remained frozen there until the sound faded away.

The enemy was close.

Knowing she was running out of time, she sped up her pursuit of Lorne. As she climbed to the top of a tall sand dune, she looked through her binoculars. She allowed herself a small smile as she found Captain Lorne, hiding in the wreckage of the chopper she had seen before she had crash- landed.

To the east, she saw several jeeps driving across the desert, none of them heading towards Lorne. Still, she knew she would have to be careful. Making sure her gun was loaded, she made her way over to the helicopter.

Several silent minutes passed as she made her way to the wreckage. Teyla wished she could call out to Lorne, to assure him he was not alone and help was coming, but she was in no position to do so. Alerting him of her presence would only bring an unwanted presence of Taliban fighters.

Finally, she slid down the last sand dune and approached Lorne, making sure he saw her before he fired his weapon, believing she was the enemy.

“Evan,” she said with a small smile as she tucked herself behind the Russian helicopter.

“Teyla?” he asked, almost not believing what he was seeing. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I am rescuing you,” she said. Before she could continue, she noticed movement on the sand dune to the east. “Wait here.”

Carefully, she made her way to the top another sand dune. She pulled out her binoculars. Three men were walking, looking around for them. They did not have much time. She ran back to the helicopter.

“You’re crazy, you know that?” Lorne said with a smile.

Teyla looked at him; he was worse than what she had thought. He had a huge gash in his leg and several more wounds on his arm and across his cheek. The blood loss had been severe if the glassy look in his eyes was any clue.

“Where’s the rest of the rescue party?” he asked, looking around.

Teyla wouldn’t answer him.

“You came here alone?” he asked in disbelief. He slumped against the side of the chopper. “I’m assuming against orders, huh?”

Teyla shrugged. If she could save Evan’s life, then it was worth not following orders. “Yes. Halling said that Command felt the area was not secure enough for a rescue mission. I did not think they would make a decision in time. Apparently, I was correct.”

She pulled out some gauze from her pack and started wrapping his leg. “I saw your helicopter. You are lucky to be alive.”

He winced as she pulled the bandage tight across the wound. “Where’s your chopper?”

“It was shot down,” she reluctantly admitted.

Lorne frowned. “You should have stuck with negotiating. You suck at the rescue business,” he joked, despite the seriousness of the situation. He looked at the sand dunes for a moment. “This place is crawling with Taliban. Tell me you have a plan to get us out of here.”

Teyla walked away, scanning the dunes where she had seen the men. “We need to leave now.” She flashed him an unsure, but determined smile. “I will get you back to base, Evan. Do not worry.”

She slung his arm over her shoulder and they slowly began making their way through the desert. They climbed a slightly sloped sand dune. Teyla frowned at their slow progress, if they were spotted, they would never be able to hide from the Taliban.

When they reached the top, Teyla spotted a gnarled tree trunk and leaned Lorne against it. “Wait here.” She pulled out her radio and tried to establish contact with the base. “Arclight, this is Roundhouse Zero-Six. Do you read?”

No response.

She turned back to Evan, who was beginning to lose consciousness. “Evan,” she called as she shook him slightly. “Evan! You must stay awake.”

His eyes fluttered open. “Teyla, when we get out of here, I’ll make sure I say something really nice at your court martial.”

Teyla smiled briefly. “You must stay awake in order to be able to testify.”

“I’m trying,” he said sincerely.

“I cannot contact the base. We need to move forward,” she said.

Gingerly, he stood with Teyla supporting his weight. They walked for nearly a quarter of an hour, occasionally having to hide from the view of the Taliban fighters. Finally, they reached the tall sand dune Teyla had climbed at the beginning of her search for Lorne.

He looked at the steep slope and forced a smile. “Wanted to make this rescue as much of a challenge as possible, huh?”

“You can do it. The helicopter is not much further,” she encouraged him. “We will use the radio there.”

Carefully, they stepped on the slope together. Despite their caution, the moment Lorne put his weight on his injured leg, his knee buckled. He fell down, pulling Teyla with him. They rolled down the hill, not stopping until the reached the bottom of the hill.

Teyla quickly climbed off from the top of Lorne. He held his leg, squeezing his eyes shut. “We must hurry,” Teyla said.

Lorne opened one eye slightly. “I’m sorry if I’m slowing you down,” he said dryly.

“It is not much further,” she promised as she pulled him on his feet again.

They walked silently for a couple of minutes. His steps were getting more unsteady. Teyla knew he didn’t have much time left. “Teyla,” he said softly. “Whatever happens…thank you for coming to get me.”

“You are welcome, but you will be fine,” she said softly.

When they climbed up the next sand dune, Teyla was welcomed with a wonderful sight. There was a jeep with a single man guarding it next to her chopper. They had a way back to the base.

She aimed her P-90 at the unsuspecting man, shooting him once in the chest. “We need to go before the others find us,” she called to Lorne.

He didn’t move.

Not wasting anytime, she dragged him across the sand to the jeep. With a heave, she placed him in the passenger side of the car. Quickly, she hotwired the car and drove west, back to their base. Back to safety.

She glanced at Lorne, watching the shallow movements of Evan’s chest. Her career might not survive the upcoming days, but Evan would.

And that was enough for Major Teyla Emmagan.

**********************

July 15, 2004  
Antarctica

Major Teyla Emmagan managed to avoid having a court martial for her actions in Afghanistan, thanks to her father and the heartfelt testimony of Evan Lorne. Still, her “unorthodox” actions had led most in the Air Force to shun her and she found herself in the very cold, very isolated land of Antarctica.

Most of the time, she flew alone, testing various aircrafts for the military. But, over the past six months, she had been shuttling people, mostly military personal, to a classified base about 100 miles from McMarkdo.

Today was no exception.

As she glanced at General O’Neill out of the corner of her eye, Teyla wondered what, exactly, his background was. There were rumors of his team and their highly classified missions. When Teyla was first transferred, there were some officers who were convinced that there was an alien on O’Neill’s team.

Teyla dismissed that as one of the crazier theories, but still, she thought, it would be fascinating to know what exactly happened throughout the General’s career.

“Is there a problem, Major?” O’Neill asked.

Busted, she thought.

Teyla hid a wince as she turned her attention to the controls. “No, sir, we will arrive at the base in twenty minutes,” she answered smoothly.

Miles of snow covered land passed under them before the General spoke again. “So, tell me a little about yourself.” He looked out of his windows. “I always like to know something about the pilot who has my life in their hands.”

Teyla was surprised. Most of the time when she had to escort someone, they tried to speak as little as possible to her, knowing she had no security clearance at the base. Well, it certainly added to the theory that General O’Neill was not a typical officer.

“I have been in the Air Force since I was eighteen,” she said. “It seemed like the correct path to take. Growing up in the military, watching my father--”

“That‘s right. Colonel Emmagan was your father,” he said.

She glanced at him, intrigued. “You knew him?”

O’Neill nodded. “He was one of the best negotiators the military ever had,” he replied. His voice softened. “It was a great loss for everyone when he passed.”

Despite the years that had gone by since his death, Teyla felt a heaviness in her heart that never seemed to fade. Though he had fought valiantly, her father had finally succumbed to cancer several years ago. She pulled herself to the present. “Yes, it was.”

O’Neill frowned, uncomfortable with the sudden sadness that settled over the helicopter. “So, how did you end up here?” he asked, changing subjects.

She looked out the window, steering the helicopter slightly to the left. “After my last mission, I was assigned here last year. It was the only continent that I had not been deployed.” She shrugged slightly. “I enjoy it here.”

O’Neill looked at her incredulously. “You like it here?”

She smiled slightly, amused by his reaction. “Yes, sir.”

O’Neill sat back and shook his head. “And I thought I had lost my ability to be surprised by people.”

A faint smile danced over Teyla’s lips. “We’ll be there in about ten minutes, sir.”

The flight was going smoothly; for once the weather was working with her. She checked her controls, making sure everything was working properly.

She frowned slightly when she was contacted over her radio. “All inbound craft, we have a rogue drone that could seek a target on its own. Land immediately and shut down your engines. This is not a drill. I repeat this is not a drill.”

Teyla’s eyes widened. There was no way she could land; the terrain below her was uneven and the snow was too deep. Even the best pilot couldn‘t set the helicopter on the ground.

“I cannot land. Hang on, sir!” she said.

Coming at her was some strange projectile she had never seen before. It was a small missile-like object that almost appeared to be glowing. Quickly, she swung the helicopter out of its path. To her surprise, the drone swung around and headed towards them again.

“Break right,” O’Neill commanded.

She understood the reasoning behind his command, but she needed to get some distance between her and the drone if she was ever going to land the copter. She turned the helicopter hard to the left.

“I said right!” O’Neill yelled over the radio.

“I am getting to that, sir,” she said as calmly as possible as she swung the helicopter to the right.

Finally, Teyla flew to where there was level ground. As if the General could read her thoughts, he asked, “Think you can land now?”

She nodded. “Yes, sir.”

Suddenly the drone shot underneath the cabin, shaking the chopper. After it cleared from underneath the carriage, she took calming breath and landed the helicopter.

“Shut it down!” O’Neill yelled.

With a quick tug of the controls, Teyla shut the engines off.

“Sir?” she asked nervously. “What was that?”

Ignoring her question, the General held up a finger. “Wait for it.”

In front of them, the drone smashed over the snow dune and was heading towards them. She looked at the strange weapon as it was slowly approaching.

What was that thing?

“We need to get out!” Teyla yelled.

The two swiftly unbuckled their seat belts and opened their doors. Teyla jumped to the side of the helicopter, planting herself in the deep snow. Behind her, O’Neill was sitting on the snow next to the helicopter as the drone, now powered off, slid towards him.

Slowly, she stood up, dusting off the snow from her jacket. Teyla took a couple of steps forward, looking at the strange drone in front of the General. It looked almost squid-like in shape.

That was what was chasing them? What exactly were they doing at that base?

She studied it for several more seconds before turning around, wanting to get the General to the base as soon as possible so that no more rouge drones, or any other mysterious missile, could attack them.

“That was…unusual,” she finally said as she got back inside the helicopter.

“For me, not so much,” replied O’Neill.

Teyla frowned as she started the helicopter again. She thought she had seen some bizarre things in Antarctica before, but this was, by far, the strangest.

She contacted the base. “This is Major Emmagan. The drone is no longer a threat and appears to be deactivated. General O’Neill and I are continuing to the landing zone. ETA is in seven minutes.”

A relieved voice greeted her. “Excellent news, Major. Jackson out.”

She turned towards O’Neill. “What was that, sir?”

The general sighed. “Major, I couldn’t even begin to explain things to you.” He considered his words for a moment. “Look, when we get to the outpost, I don’t want you waiting out here, just in case something like this happens again, so consider yourself having very limited clearance. But, officially, you saw a failed test missile, got it?”

She nodded. “I understand, sir.”

No other words were spoken until they landed at the outpost. When they arrived, she quickly shut down the engines and followed the General to an elevator. As they descended, Teyla wondered what work they could be doing down there.

The ride was longer than she anticipated. She took a step, trying to peer down the shaft to get a clue of what was going on. Unfortunately, she didn’t get a good look at anything.

When the elevator stopped, he turned to her. “Now, if you would excuse me, Major, I need to have a talk with my good friend Daniel.”

He walked ahead to a handsome man wearing glasses, Daniel, Teyla assumed. She was surprised; he didn’t appear to be military personnel. Looking around she noticed quite a few civilian contractors walking around the cavern.

“Jack!” Daniel greeted.

“Daniel. Warm welcome,” the General returned.

Daniel held his hands up in defense. “It wasn’t me. How did you manage to, uh…”

“Keep my ass from getting’ blown out of the sky?” He turned and pointed to Teyla. “You can thank the flying skills of Major Teyla Emmagan.” He lowered his voice slightly. “She likes it here.”

“Exceptional,” Daniel said, half-listening. Then O’Neill’s words processed. “You like it here?” he asked, amazed.

Teyla smiled at his reaction. “It has its benefits,” she replied as O’Neill and Daniel started to walk away.

Before they got too far, the General turned back towards her. “Hey. Don’t touch anything.”

“Yes, sir,” she replied as she looked around the room.

When they walked away, she started slowly making her way through the strange passageways. People, military and civilians, were walking back and forth dealing with equipment she had never seen before. They must have been accustomed to people coming and going; no one seemed to notice she was there.

Not sure of where she was going, Teyla walked around aimlessly for several minutes. The underground base was enormous. She walked down the passageway when a large chair in the center of a room caught her attention.

As she entered the room, she heard a Scottish man talking with a few of his colleagues. “The second I shut my eyes, I could see. I felt power I've never had before. I had it dancing all across the sky. It was magical, it really was.” He laughed heartedly. “They're lucky. I don't know where it came from. I just tried to concentrate and the drone shut itself down.”

Teyla frowned, feeling indignant. How could this man laugh at the idea of nearly killing her and the General? She walked to him, anger on her face. “So you were the one who attacked us?” she asked harshly.

The man looked at her, slightly panicked. Though she was several inches shorter than him, he took a step back. “Me?” he squeaked.

Teyla walked passed him to stand next to the large chair in the room, giving her a better view of her attacker. “You were the one who fired that drone at General O’Neill and me. You nearly killed us,” she answered.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the group he had been talking to was making a quick retreat.

He suddenly understood her anger. “Look we're doing research; working with technology that's light years beyond us and we make mistakes. I'm incredibly, incredibly sorry,” he said.

Teyla sensed his sincerity. Instantly, her anger dissipated. “Perhaps it would be wise if you were more careful the next time,” she replied. “What exactly was that anyway?”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “You do have security clearance to be here, right?”

She nodded. “Yes. General O’Neill gave it to me after our encounter with the drone.”

His eyes widened at her words. “Then you don’t even know about the Stargate.”

“The what?” she asked, confused. She was unaccustomed to being out of the loop; it was not something she enjoyed.

“The Stargate. It was created by these beings called the Ancients. The Stargate allows for us to travel to other worlds through wormhole travel,” he explained.

She frowned in disbelief. “Other worlds? You cannot possibly expect for me to believe that, Mr…”

“Dr. Carson Beckett,” he replied. “It’s true. You saw one of the drones that were created by the Ancients.”

“Then if it was created by the Ancients, how did you launch the attack?” she asked, not believing a word he said.

“There are some humans who have a gene inherited by the Ancients. They think the gene was used as a sort of genetic key, if you will, so that only their kind could operate certain dangerous and powerful technologies,” Carson explained.

As he turned from the chair, Teyla studied it. For some unexplainable reason, she felt as if the Chair was pulling herself to it.

“And you have the gene?” she asked, walking around the chair.

“The specific gene is very rare, but on the whole the Ancients look very much like we do. In fact they were here first. We're the second evolution of this form, the Ancients having explored this galaxy for millions of years before…”

Unable to suppress the urge, Teyla found herself starting to sit in the chair.

“Major, please don’t.”

“Dr. Beckett,” she said patiently. “What are the chances of me having the same gene?” Though she asked it, she had a strong suspicion she did have it. As she sat on the chair, it lit up behind her and started to lean back. She looked at Carson with amazement.

“It’s quite slim, actually,” Carson said, answering her question. “Doctor Weir!” he called. He started walking out of the room before turning back. “Don’t move.”

Teyla remained in the chair, wondering why she decided to take a seat. There was no doubt she had been drawn to it, as though some part deep inside yearned to be connected to the chair. She shifted in the seat, uncomfortable with her actions. Certainly it wasn’t in her nature to just touch random things, especially when she knew the consequences could be dangerous.

Moments later, Beckett returned with a bunch of people, including an annoyed General O’Neill.

“Who is this?” the woman asked.

The General ignored her question and walked up to Teyla, frowning. “I said don’t touch anything.”

“I just sat down,” she argued weakly.

Another man pushed his way pass O‘Neil. “Think about where we are in the solar system,” he ordered.

With hardly a thought, a holographic map of the solar system appeared above her head. Around her people were exchanging smiles with each other.

“Did I do that?” she asked nervously.

The man who had just spoken turned to the woman. “Elizabeth, we don’t have anyone on the expedition who can use Ancient technology with such ease. We need--”

The woman held up her hand. “Hold on, Rodney.” She walked up to Teyla. “I’m Elizabeth Weir.”

Teyla offered her hand, despite being in the uncomfortable position. “Major Teyla Emmagan.”

Elizabeth smiled then turned to the General. “If you don’t mind, sir, I’d like for Dr. McKay to run some tests with on the Major.”

O’Neill looked at Teyla, still sitting awkwardly on the chair. “Sure. It’s the least the Major can do…right?”

Teyla nodded as she eyed Dr. McKay who was already tapping on the tablet in his hands. He seemed almost too eager to start the tests. What had she gotten herself into?

“All right, Major, I need you to relax and think of powering down the chair,” he instructed.

She did as she was told and the chair returned to its previous position. The hologram blinked out of existence. “Excellent, now come with me.”

Teyla followed him, wondering what tests he was planning to make her take. She didn’t know anything about the Ancients and their technology.

As she stepped out of the room, Carson walked beside her. “Don’t let Rodney get to you,” he said quietly. “He’s not exactly the friendliest person on the base.”

“I heard that, Carson,” McKay grumbled. “Besides, this expedition isn’t about making friends. It’s about advancing scientific technology for the better of mankind.”

A man, muttering in Czech, walked by quickly. If Teyla didn't know any better, she would think he was trying to avoid Dr. McKay.

“Zelenka!” McKay called before he could turn the corner. “I’m going to need your help testing Major--” He turned to her. “What’s your name again?”

“Teyla Emmagan.”

“Major Emmagan,” McKay said. He led her to a table filled with unfamiliar gadgets. “Here, hold this for a second,” he ordered Teyla.

As she grabbed it, the device began to light up.

Carson looked at her with pity. “Good luck, Major.”

Teyla suppressed a sigh as he walked away. She had a feeling she would need it.

***********************

Nearly two hours and a large migraine courtesy of Dr. McKay later, Dr. Weir walked into the room. “Major Emmagan, may I have a word?” she asked.

Teyla was relieved for the interruption. “Dr. McKay?” she asked politely though she felt like running out of the room.

He waved her away with an impatient hand, reviewing the results of her latest batch of tests. McKay looked up at Elizabeth, giving her a nod before turning his attention back to his tablet.

Dr. Weir led her down a long passageway, away from most of the people. “Major, I don’t know how much you know about our current mission…”

“Dr. McKay was muttering something about traveling to another galaxy,” Teyla replied. “Though I have to admit I still find the idea of wormhole travel unbelievable.”

Elizabeth smiled knowingly. “I understand. The concept is overwhelming.” She crossed her arms. “I’ll be blunt, Major. We need you on this expedition. If Doctors Jackson and McKay are correct, then we’re going to be in an Ancient city, full of technology like what you have been dealing with all afternoon. We have found no one who can use the technology with the ease that you can.”

Elizabeth looked her squarely in the eye. “I want you to come with us to Atlantis.”

Teyla shook her head without thinking. “I appreciate the offer, Dr. Weir, but I have commitments here, on this planet. Not to mention the fact that I already have a current assignment.”

“I’m sure General O’Neill could work around that, but I need for you to agree to come. This mission is completely on a volunteer basis,” Elizabeth replied. She looked at her. “You should know there is a good chance that it will be a while until we can return, but the possibility of what we could find in Atlantis is almost unimaginable.”

Teyla was unconvinced. “Again, Dr. Weir, I must decline.”

Elizabeth frowned. “I understand,” she said stiffly. She forced a polite smile on her face. “General O’Neill is getting ready to leave the base. He wanted me to tell you to have the helicopter ready in ten minutes.”

“Thank you,” Teyla said, walking away from Elizabeth and the Atlantis project. As she reached the elevator, she turned around. “Good luck, Dr. Weir,” she said sincerely.

Without waiting for a response, she rode up the long ride in the elevator, trying to avoid thinking about Dr. Weir’s proposal. She walked to the helicopter and began starting the up the engine.

Several minutes later, General O’Neill took his seat in the helicopter. “This isn't a long trip, so I'll be as succinct as possible.”

Teyla waited for him to speak, but he said nothing further.

“That is certainly to the point, sir,” she commented.

“Thank you,” he replied dryly.

“I have already given Doctor Weir my answer, sir. I do not plan to leave this galaxy or planet for that matter,” she replied.

“How can you say that?” O’Neill asked as he put on his headphones.

“With all due respect, sir, we were just attacked by an alien missile. And now Dr. McKay is telling me that I have some unusual gene that activates various objects created by these beings called the Ancients,” she shook her head. “Not only that, but I am expected to be unphased about these Stargates. I cannot begin to understand it, sir. My decision still stands,” Teyla said firmly.

O’Neill frowned, not impressed with her argument. “You know, this isn't about you, Emmagan. It's a lot bigger than that. I thought you, of all people, would appreciate that.” He studied her for a second. “You know, you were on the fast track a couple of years ago. Going on this mission could get you back on it.”

Teyla forced herself not to rise to the bait. O’Neill was far from the first officer to remind her of what she could have been. “Sir, I am aware what opportunities I missed. But, I refuse to apologize for my actions in Afghanistan.” She sat straighter in her seat. “And if that means that I am stuck here my own life, then so be it.”

He looked at her, not impressed. “How long are you going to stay here on this continent, held prisoner by your past? Emmagan, I understand what it’s like to be committed to your team. But, they aren’t your team anymore,” he reminded her.

He looked at her for a second. “Why don’t you take a couple of days to decide? Weir and the others aren’t leaving for a few days.“

Teyla eyed his suspiciously. “What is the catch?“

“No catch,“ he assured her. “I’m just hoping you’ll use that time to talk with some people who will get you out of hiding in the middle of this Godforsaken land.”

**************

It had been nearly two years since she last saw them.

Unlike the loud bustle of the mess hall, Teyla was content to sit back quietly, trying to figure out why she had accepted General O’Neill’s offer to take a couple of days to think about joining the Atlantis project. She knew her mind was made up; she wouldn’t go with Dr. Weir and the others.

Or would she?

She took a sip of her tea, trying to calm her thoughts.

Though she was unable to be with her former team, there was something comforting knowing that they were still stationed together, even when she could not join them. Phone calls and emails between them were rare, but if she decided to accept this mission, that would be all but impossible.

Still, she had to admit the General had a point; if there were any people on this planet who could convince her to take the mission, it would be them.

Teyla watched the two men enter in the mess hall, unaware of her presence. Despite the conflict in her mind, she couldn’t keep the small smile from peeking on her face.

She had missed them.

Halling and Lorne walked in together, grinning as they talked to each other. Even from across the room, Teyla could tell Lorne was talking about last night’s baseball game. Halling shook his head, disagreeing with what Evan was talking about.

Teyla stood up, uncharacteristically nervous. As they came closer to her, she waved to them.

It was Lorne who noticed her first. Instantly, he walked passed Halling to Teyla. He picked her up and spun her around several times. “Teyla! What are you doing here?” he asked as he set her down. “They finally let you out of no man‘s land?”

“Not exactly,” she answered before turning to Halling. They quickly embraced before she took a step back, looking at the two of them. Realizing that she was truly considering leaving them caused a wave of sadness to wash over her.

When they saw Teyla’s somber expression, the smiles quickly faded away.

Halling looked directly in her eyes. “Teyla, what is wrong?” he asked softly.

She forced a smile on her face. “Please,” she said, gesturing to the chairs in front of her. The men exchanged an uncomfortable glance as he took a seat.

“I have been offered a new assignment.”

The words hung in the air for a moment while the two processed her words. Teyla had been given numerous assignments over the previous two years and she had never spoken to them about it.

“And?” Lorne finally asked, not understanding the reason behind her visit.

“I do not know if I should take it,” Teyla answered, avoiding their questioning looks.

“Where will you go?” Halling asked.

“I cannot say,” she reluctantly answered.

Suddenly her reluctance made sense to the two men. “Classified operation, huh?” Lorne asked.

Teyla nodded. “That would not even begin to describe it.”

Halling studied her. They had been friends a long time; he knew there was something she was not telling them. Still, he knew she would reveal what was on her mind when she was ready.

“But you’re thinking about taking the assignment, aren’t you?” Evan asked.

Teyla whipped around, facing him. “I am considering it, but I cannot let go of the feeling that I would be abandoning the two of you. Still, I have reason to believe that if I take this assignment, I would be able to move from the trial.” She looked at them, offering a worried smile. “If I do choose to go, I hope…I do not want you to believe that this is a decision that has been easy to make. I know that--”

“Teyla,” Halling interrupted. “The time has come for you to move past your actions in Afghanistan. You have paid your dues.”

Lorne nodded. “If this assignment will allow you to move forward, then you should accept.” Evan grabbed her hand briefly and offered a lopsided smile. “I know you going to be fine wherever you’re going, Teyla,” he said sincerely.

He took in a deep breath. “When do you leave?”

“Two days,” she answered.

“Then we should take advantage of the time that you are here,” said Halling.

Teyla forced a smile; she knew there was a good chance that this was all the time they had left together.  



	2. Chapter 2

It had been a long time since Teyla had been with so many people.

She walked into the crowded room, wearing her backpack, carrying her P-90. People from all over the world, were crowding around what she assumed was the Stargate. As she scanned over the crowd, she saw someone who she didn’t necessarily want to see.

Still, she was not going to be intimidated by this man. Confidently, she walked up to him. “Colonel Sumner,” she greeted civilly.

From the look he gave her, she knew he did not want her to be here.

Before he could speak, Dr. Weir walked into the room. “Could I have everyone’s attention please?” she called over the crowd.

Within three seconds, the room was silent. Teyla was impressed; Dr. Weir commanded her presence.

Elizabeth looked around the room. “Alright, here we go. We are about to try to make a connection. We have been unable to predict exactly how much power this is going to take and we may only get the one chance at this, so if we are able to achieve a stable wormhole, we're not going to risk shutting the Gate down. We'll send in the MALP robot probe, check for viability and go. Everything in one shot.”

It still sounded strange to Teyla, wormholes, MALP robots, not to mention a different galaxy.

In front of her, Elizabeth continued speaking, “Now, every one of you volunteered for this mission and you represent over a dozen countries. You are the world's best and brightest; and in light of the adventure we are about to embark on, you are also the bravest. I hope we all return one day having discovered a whole new realm for humanity to explore, but as all of you know, we may never be able to return home. I'd like to offer you all one last chance to withdraw your participation.”

For a half second, Teyla considered it. Being with the comfort of her team, knowing she would have their support, was tantalizing. But, she knew she couldn’t turn back. Not now.

All of the other expedition members remained silent. Elizabeth smiled at them. “Begin the dialing sequence,” she said to those in the Control Room.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Colonel Sumner walking towards her. “Let me make myself clear, Major. You’re not here by my choice.”

Teyla refrained from making a snide comment, determined to dissipate the tension between the two of them. “I am aware of that, sir,” she said, keeping her eyes firmly on the Gate in front of her.

Sumner leaned closer to her ear, trying to intimidate her. “What you did in Afghanistan was foolish. We don’t need that kind of recklessness on this expedition.”

Teyla whipped around to face him, her anger flared. “I saved the life of a fellow solider. I do not find that reckless, sir.”

Sumner frowned. “If you hadn’t saved Captain Lorne’s life, you would have gotten slapped with a court martial instead of a medal for bravery. And it helped that you were Daddy’s little girl.“

Teyla flinched at the harshness of his words, but refused to be provoked.

Sumner sneered at her. “Disobeying orders is not acceptable, Major Emmagan. So don’t forget who is in charge.”

Teyla raised her eyebrows, having come to terms with the fact the two of them would never see eye to eye. “I assume that would be Dr. Weir,” she said calmly, daring him to argue with her.

He held her gaze for a moment before turning away in disgust. “Just remember your place, Major,” he huffed as he pushed past her.

She closed her eyes briefly, calming herself. There was no time to bicker with judgmental superior officers; she needed to prepare herself for traveling across the universe to another galaxy.

Teyla pushed the thoughts of Colonel Sumner out of her mind and turned her gaze to the Stargate, watching it as it spun around. She felt overwhelmed; she had a strong suspicion she was the only person in the room who hadn’t seen a Stargate before. As the Stargate circled around the last time, a large whoosh sounded as the wormhole formed.

She took a step back as she saw the rippling aqua circle form within the Stargate. She would have to go through that?

As she considered walking away and finding the closest exit, a strange machine rolled by her and entered into through the Stargate. Several minutes passed with no one hardly making a move in the Gate room. Finally, Colonel Sumner walked to the front of the group.

“We got an all clear! Let's go, people. We don't know how much time we've got,” he yelled, finishing his walk up the ramp. “Security teams one and two, you're up first. All other personnel will follow on our signal. Once on the other side, keep moving, clear the debarkation area. On my lead,” he ordered.

Before he could step through, Dr. Weir called to him. “Hold on, Colonel.” She walked into the room, zipping her jacket. She picked up a large backpack before standing next to Sumner. “We go through together.”

Sumner, impressed with her determination, nodded. “Fair enough.”

Then, they stepped through the Stargate.

Moments later, O’Neill spoke in the microphone above the team. “Expedition team, move out.”

Suddenly, Teyla was very nervous. She glanced to the side of her where a handsome young man was walking towards the Stargate. “What does going through the Stargate feel like?” she asked.

He frowned at her question. “It hurts like hell, ma’am,” he answered seriously.

Before she could panic, his face broke out into a large grin. “Woo hoo!” he shouted as he entered the event horizon.

Drawing a deep breath, Teyla ignored the voices in her head screaming at her to turn around and stepped through the wormhole.

Colors flashed around her; a faint whooshing sound swirled around her ears. It seemed to take a long time to travel through the wormhole.

Then, it was black.

No, Teyla corrected herself as her eyes adjusted to the dim room. It wasn’t black, but lighting was a serious issue. She turned back to where she came from, watching several Marines walk through the Stargate. She briefly wondered if she would ever get use to Stargate travel.

Teyla scanned the room for some familiar, friendly faces. Finally, she saw Dr. McKay from Antarctica. Together, they walked up the steps. As soon as Teyla put her foot on the first step, it began to light up.

“Who’s doing that?” Elizabeth called from the center of the room.

Teyla froze. Perhaps coming on this expedition was not a good idea. They had no idea how this technology would react to someone like Teyla. Pushing down that line of thinking, she continued making her way up the stairs. Once she reached the top of the stairs, the lights to the room came on. She wondered if this was going to happen every time she entered into a room in this place.

“The lights are coming on by themselves,” she said to McKay.

She could almost see him bite down on a cutting remark, instead focusing his attention on uncovering what was under the sheets. Teyla walked to the balcony, giving her a view of the entire gate room. She watched as the last of the expedition stepped through. Then, oddly enough, a champagne bottle rolled through the wormhole.

Below her, Elizabeth inspected the bottle and held it up to show Teyla. “For luck,” she said simply.

Teyla smiled softly, appreciating the gesture. She had a feeling they were going to need a lot of it to make sure this mission was successful.

McKay turned away, back to the room where they came from. Not sure where she could go--or if she should based on what had happened so far, she felt she would be relatively safe with McKay. Though he was arrogant and rude, she had no doubt he knew how to save himself if trouble arose.

As she wandered around the room, a screen against a wall flickered on. She frowned as Elizabeth walked up the steps. “I apologize, Dr. Weir.”

“Relax, Major,” Elizabeth said not unkindly. “It’s like the entire complex is sensing our presence and coming to life.”

“This has got to be the Control Room,” Rodney said after lifting up one of the sheets. “This is obviously their version of a D.H.D.”

Teyla smile politely, not having the slightest idea what he was talking about. “Apparently it is,” she replied.

He had already moved to the next console. “This area could be, uh, power control systems, possibly a computer interface…” he said excitedly.

“Hey, hey,” Elizabeth cut in. “Why don’t you find out?”

“Right,” McKay said.

Teyla was about to ask Elizabeth what she wanted her to do when Colonel Sumner paged the doctor. “Doctor Weir, this is Colonel Sumner. Can you come down and meet me, please? We’re three levels down from you,” he said.

“Right away,” Elizabeth replied. She turned to Rodney, but he was too busy rounding up scientists, trying to get them working on figuring out what each console did. She faced Teyla. “Why don’t you come with me, Major?”

Grateful she had something to do, Teyla followed Elizabeth down the stairs.

“Do you mind if I ask you something?” Elizabeth asked as they entered a long corridor.

“No, not at all.” Teyla had nothing to hide.

“What was the exchange I saw between you and Colonel Sumner back on Earth? I don‘t want there to be any problems,” Elizabeth asked directly.

Teyla stiffened. While she had nothing to hide, there were some things she did not enjoy speaking about. “There are some in the chain of command who…disagree with my actions in Afghanistan. Colonel Sumner wanted to make sure I knew where he stood.”

“And what exactly were those actions?” Weir asked, looking at Teyla.

“That is classified,” Teyla said stiffly.

Elizabeth let out a slight laugh. “Major, we don’t even know if, let alone when, we will be in contact with Earth again. I don’t think ‘classified information’ is even applicable out here. But,” she said, not wanting to push the issue, “why don’t you give the condensed version?”

Teyla nodded as they walked down a flight of stairs. “I disobeyed a direct order in order to save the life of my fellow officer. His helicopter was shot down in enemy territory. I went after him, despite orders to standby while my commanding officers worked out a rescue mission with some of the local people.”

Weir studied Teyla for a moment. “Would you do it again? Even if you couldn’t save him?”

Teyla nodded as she saw Colonel Sumner’s team about twenty yards in front of them. “Yes, Dr. Weir, I would. Every life is worth trying to save.”

Elizabeth nodded, considering Teyla’s answer, as they came to the Colonel.

The Colonel looked at the two women, frowning slightly at Teyla. “We’ve only been able to secure a fraction of the place. It’s huge.”

Elizabeth smiled, hopeful. “So it might really be the lost city of Atlantis?”

“I’d say that’s a good bet,” he replied, leading them to a large window.

The view, much to Teyla’s discomfort, was nothing but water. Teyla didn’t hate water per se, but she was much more content in the open skies instead of a city emerged beneath the surface of the ocean where drowning suddenly became a likely way to die.

“We’re under water,” Elizabeth murmured, amazed.

Teyla took a step forward, hoping the surface was close. Unfortunately, though beams of sunlight filtered through, it was obvious they were nowhere near the top. Teyla wondered how they would ever get the city to the surface,

Turning her gaze down, she saw that the Colonel was right; the city was huge. Many towers, all different shapes and sizes, surrounded them. It would take them weeks to search the entire city.

“I’d say we’re under several hundred feet of ocean. If we can’t dial out, this could be a problem,” Sumner said.

Teyla couldn’t think like that. A watery grave was *not* in her future.

“Colonel, Doctor Weir,” McKay said from behind them.

“We are under water, Dr. McKay,” Teyla said, forcing herself to sound calm.

He stood next to her, looking out the window. “Yes, I was just coming to tell you. Fortunately there is sort of force field holding back the...water,” he said, pausing as his brain finally processed the vast city he was looking at. “Oh, that is impressive, isn’t it?”

The stood there for several seconds before McKay spoke again.

“Uh, Doctor Beckett has found something you should see,” he said.

**********

Teyla followed behind McKay, Elizabeth and Sumner as they entered the illuminated room. Doctor Beckett was standing on some kind of podium, looking at a woman who appeared to be glowing. Teyla was instantly on alert; she thought the base was supposed to be empty.

As if sensing her thoughts, Beckett spoke. “It’s a hologram. The recording loops. This is my second time watching it.”

To her side, Sumner studied the woman. “What have we missed?”

Beckett shrugged slightly. “Not much.”

Teyla turned her attention to the hologram. “…exchange knowledge and friendship.” Teyla looked up as a holographic image of the galaxy appeared. “In time, a thousand worlds bore the fruit of life in this form. Then one day our people stepped foot upon a dark world where a terrible enemy slept. Never before had we encountered beings with powers that rivaled our own. In our over-confidence, we were unprepared and outnumbered. “

Teyla stopped listening as she considered the words. Unprepared and outnumbered? These were the same beings that created the Stargate and they could not defeat this terrible enemy?

She pushed aside her concerns, whatever did happen to them, it happened many years ago. Perhaps they had found a way to defeat this enemy. Teyla shifted her focus back to the hologram’s words.

The incandescent woman frowned. “In an effort to save the last of our kind, we submerged our great city into the ocean. The Atlantis Stargate was the one and only link back to Earth from this galaxy, and those who remained used it to return to that world that was once home. There, the last survivors of Atlantis lived out the remainder of their lives. This city was left to slumber, in the hope that our kind would one day return.”

Teyla, thinking about the abandoned building, knew their hopes had been fruitless. The Ancients had never been able to return to their city. She wondered what kept them from coming back to their home.

Beckett stepped off the podium and the hologram faded away.

“Oh,” McKay said, surprised. “So the story of Atlantis is true. A great city that sank in the ocean.”

Beckett nodded. “It just didn’t happen on earth.”

“Well, the ancient Greeks must’ve heard it from one of the surviving Ancients,” McKay said reasonably.

Teyla frowned at how causally they spoke of their situation. Would she ever become accustomed to the idea of Ancients and their strange history with Earth?

Behind her, the doors opened. One of the techs walked in and walked over to McKay, whispering to him urgently.

“I don’t like the fact they got their asses kicked,” Sumner said.

Teyla agreed. There was something disconcerting about the fact that these Ancients felt the only option they had was to abandon their city and flee to another galaxy. The fact they were unable to return to Atlantis only compounded the feeling.

Dr. Weir nodded. “It certainly makes me uneasy.”

Beckett stepped back on the platform. “Let’s hear it again from the beginning. Maybe we can pick up some clues as to who this enemy is--”

“Stop!” McKay yelled. “Turn it off.”

Confused, Carson stepped down from the podium. “What’s wrong, Rodney?” he asked.

Rodney frowned, looking at his tablet. “The power levels throughout the city are dropping like a stone,” Rodney said.

“What does that mean?” Teyla asked.

He looked at Elizabeth with a panicked look. “That if we don’t stop everything we’re doing right now, we are dead,” Rodney answered. Quickly, he and the man who walked in with him hurried out of the room.

Teyla looked at Elizabeth who looked surprised. Whatever Dr. Weir was hoping to find in Atlantis, a broken, problem-filled city wasn’t it.

Elizabeth took a breath, calming herself before following the two men.

Carson, Sumner and Teyla quickly followed her lead. “This is all my fault,” Carson muttered. “I shouldn’t have gone in there.”

Teyla, feeling sympathy, shook her head. “You do not know that.”

“I have the ATA gene. I should have known not to touch anything until Rodney and the others determined it was safe to do so,” Carson replied.

Teyla thought about how the city reacted to her just by her walking in a room. “I understand, Dr. Beckett, but no one knows how this city works. I am confident that Dr. McKay will figure out how to get the city more power. Things will work out.”

He looked at her for a second before climbing up the stairs. “I hope you are right, Major.”

When they walked into the control room, Teyla saw McKay already busy at work, with his laptop hooked up to one of the consoles.

Carson walked in front of them, standing directly in front of Rodney. “Please tell me this is not my fault.”

“No.” It was obvious his mind was not focused on anything except the information coming from his computer.

“Thank you!” Carson said sincerely, flashing a small grin at Teyla.

Rodney looked up to Elizabeth. “From what we've been able to ascertain, the city is powered by three Zero Point Modules. Two are entirely depleted and the third is reaching maximum entropy. When it does, it'll die too and nothing can reverse that.”

Teyla had no idea what, exactly, that meant, but she had a feeling that she had better become a good swimmer very soon.

Peter looked at the screen, frowning. “We should have checked the power levels before we had anyone start exploring,” he commented.

Rodney rolled his eyes. “Well thank you for that wonderful insight, Peter. Maybe if I would have known that we--”

Sumner, who was uncomfortable as she, crossed his arms. “Just tell me the bottom line.”

“The force field holding back the ocean has collapsed to its minimum sustainable levels. Look,” he said, pointing to the screen showing a layout of the entire city. “Here, here and here, where the shield's already failed and the city's flooded. It could have happened years ago. This section is likely more protected because of the Stargate.”

Teyla frowned. “What happens if the shield fails completely?” she asked, though she suspected she already knew the answer.

Rodney closed his eyes for a moment. “It’s a matter of when, not if.”

“Colonel Sumner, you need to order your teams to stop searching the city,” Elizabeth instructed. “We need to save as much power as possible.”

He nodded before he spoke into the radio. “All security teams fall back to the Gate room.”

“It’s not going to be good enough,” Rodney warned, shaking his head.

“Alright,” Elizabeth said, pushing down her annoyance. “How much time do we have?”

“It’s hard to say. Hours, maybe days if we minimize how much power we use. But unless we are planning on a campout in the Gate room, I don’t see how that is possible,” Rodney replied sarcastically.

“What about our own power generators?” Carson offered.

Rodney tapped on a few keys. “We’re working on that, but even with our most advanced naqahdah power generators, the equations are coming up far short.”

Elizabeth crossed her arms. “Then we need to find another Z.P.M.”

“Now how do we do that if we can’t search the city?” Sumner wondered aloud.

McKay shook his head. “There’s no point to searching. If there were more here, we would have detected them right away.”

“Can we use the Stargate?”

“There is no way we can squeeze out enough power to open a wormhole back to Earth,” Rodney rebutted.

“Maybe we could find one in this galaxy,” Teyla suggested.

Four pairs of eyes looked at her. Finally, McKay nodded. “That’s relatively easy.”

He walked over to a console with strange buttons on it. Teyla looked at the unfamiliar symbols on the buttons, wondering what, exactly, she was looking at.

“Fortunately some Ancient technology still uses good old-fashioned push buttons, so we've been able to access the Stargate control system and a library of known Gate addresses in the database,” Rodney said excitedly.

“That’s not all. Look at this,” said Peter, sitting at the control console next to him.

Teyla looked at the Stargate and watched as a force field appeared across it.

“Let’s keep using power that we don’t have, Peter,” McKay muttered.

With a quick flick on a switch, the shield was turned off.

“Just like the iris on the Earth gate.” Sumner said.

Elizabeth nodded. “At least we don’t have to deal with any uninvited guests. Colonel, assemble a team. We need to find a place to leave, if we have to. A Z.P.M. would be preferable.”

“Lieutenant Ford, gather up security teams one and two,” Sumner ordered through his radio.

“Major, I want you to go along,” Weir said.

For a moment, it seemed like Sumner would argue, but Elizabeth cut him off. “We need to conserve power, Colonel. And, as much as I would love for the Major to be able to activate all of the Ancient technology on Atlantis, I want to stay alive more.”

Though she wasn’t speaking unkindly, her words stung Teyla. After all, it was Weir who requested her to come in the first place. Still, the doctor had a point. “I understand, Ma’am,” Teyla replied.

She walked down the stairs, walking towards the stash of items they had brought with them. Quickly, she grabbed a P-90, an extra clip and some night vision goggles. She looked around and saw the young man who had entered the Gate right before her.

“Ford, I want you with me,“ Sumner said. “We don’t know what will be waiting for us on the other side.” He turned his gaze to Teyla, frowning slightly. “That goes for you too, Emmagan. I don’t want any surprises.”

Teyla refrained from telling him what he could do with his surprises. Now was not the time to argue with her commanding officer. She completed getting ready and walked out to the Gate room.

Peter looked up when all of the team had entered the room. “MALP reads full viability and no immediate signs of activity around the Gate, but it’s pitch black.”

Around her, everyone put on their night vision goggles, resting them on their foreheads. Teyla did the same.

Sumner glanced around before facing the Gate. “Let’s move out!” He pulled the goggles over his eyes and walked through the event horizon.

Teyla allowed everyone to go ahead of her; she still wasn’t comfortable with the idea of wormhole travel. She looked at Elizabeth, took a deep breath while putting on the goggles and walked through the gate.

The experience through the wormhole was much like her previous journey, only significantly shorter. Within a couple of seconds, she appeared on the unfamiliar planet. The others had fanned out, carefully scanning the area for any surprises. She followed their lead, heading towards the outskirts of what looked like a forest.

Before she entered the area, she saw someone, or something, run through the trees. She held up her fist to stop the team from proceeding any further.

Ford walked up to her. “What did you see?” he whispered.

“Someone was running several yards ahead, beyond those trees,” she answered quietly.

Slowly, they proceeded towards the tree line. Before they could walk more than a few steps, a small child jumped from behind one of the larger tree.

Teyla aimed her P-90 at the unknown boy while Ford aimed his rifle, looking for any other people. Moments later, another small boy wearing a mask and unaware of their presence, jumped out from another tree. “I got you!”

The first child looked at Teyla, staring at her gun. “Please, don’t hurt us!”

Teyla lowered her gun as Sumner ran from behind to see what was going on. “They are just children, sir,” she reported as she lifted up her goggles.

Frightened, the other child removed his mask. Before any of them could start asking them questions, like where the adults were, a man ran up to them. He looked at the soldiers, frowning when he saw their weapons.

“They are just playing,” he said, fear and anger in his voice.

“A hell of a time to be playing,” Sumner shot back.

Teyla frowned at the remark. If they were going to work an alliance of some kind with these people, the Colonel would need to keep his sarcasm to himself. “We were startled when they jumped from behind the trees,” Teyla explained. “We would not have harmed them.”

The man studied her for a second. “Sheppard.”

Teyla’s eyebrows went down, confused. “You are a shepherd?”

“It’s his name,” Sumner replied, a smirk in his voice.

“Oh…Sheppard,” Teyla said, shaking off any embarrassment. “It is good to meet you.”

Sheppard looked at the group of soldiers around him. “Are you here to trade?”

“Trade…” Teyla considered her options. Perhaps they had brought something from Earth that these people would value. “Yes, we’re traders.”

Sheppard studied their weapons for a second before finally nodding. “Come on, Johnathyn will want to talk with you.”

The two boys ran ahead. “Don’t think your father won’t find out what you did tonight,” he called out to them. They stopped, then lowered their heads. “You know playing alone in the forest is dangerous.”

“We’re sorry,” said one of the boys.

“Stay close,” Sheppard instructed as he led the group through the forest.

Teyla followed Sheppard, again alone in the back of the group. She wasn’t without company for long; soon the two boys were walking next to her.

“What was that mask you had on?” asked one of the boys.

Teyla smiled at his curiosity. “This allows me to see, even when it is dark.” She reached up and removed her goggles, handing them to the child.

“Wow!” he exclaimed as he looked through them.

“Let me see, Jinto!” the other boy said, grabbing them. “Whoa! Can I have it?”

“No,” Teyla said, taking away the goggles. “What is the mask you have?” she asked, changing the subject. “It looks frightening.”

“This? Wraith,” the kid answered as if she understood what he was talking about.

She frowned. “Wraith? I am not familiar with such a thing.”

The two boys looked at each other in amazement. “You don’t know?”

“What world did you come from?”

“Can we go there?”

Teyla shook her head, perplexed by their astonishment. “I am sorry, but my planet is very far away.”

Several minutes later, they approached a village with a large bonfire and several dozen tents made from animal skins. Teyla noticed there were several adults tending to the fire, stirring items into a large pot. Others were weaving pieces of cloths together, forming some kind of blanket.

None of the villagers spoke to them, but they all watched them carefully. The two boys ran towards their parents, already explaining why they left the village. Teyla offered a small smile to the boys before turning her attention back to their guide.

Sheppard led them to the largest tent. “Johnathyn,” he called before entering, “There are some people here who want to talk to you.”

“Tell them to come on in.”

Sheppard walked inside, holding the tent flap so that Teyla, Ford and Sumner could enter. A man, who Teyla assumed was Johnathyn, stood up as they entered the room. Sheppard walked across the tent to stand next to him.

Teyla looked at the two of them carefully. There was more than a passing resemblance to the two men. Johnathyn was taller, his hair a bit more dark, but there was no doubt in Teyla’s mind the two of them were related.

“They want to become trading partners,” Sheppard said simply.

Teyla stood stiffly as silence filled the tent. This was not going well. She stepped forward, hoping some of her father’s ability to negotiate had been passed off to her. “It is nice to meet you,” she said.

Johnathyn exchanged a look with the other man. “I am Johnathyn Sheppard, son of Janyce. You have already met my brother, Dafyd,” he said motioning to Sheppard.

“Colonel Marshall Sumner, Major Teyla Emmagan and Lieutenant Aiden Ford,” the Colonel introduced. “We have a very few specific needs.”

Johnathyn frowned as he studied them. “We don’t trade with people we don’t know,” he said simply. He shrugged. “No offence.”

“Is that a fact?” Sumner asked challengingly.

Teyla knew she would, again, have to defuse the situation if they were going to be able to work with these people. She looked around the tent, hoping for any connections they have with these people. Unfortunately, she didn’t see anything she could use.

Johnathyn exchanged a glance with his brother and Teyla knew their time was going to be over very soon unless she did something.

“We have something that might be useful to you. To protect you against the Wraith,” she said, hoping the Wraith were in fact the enemy the hologram spoke about and not some child’s game the boys had made up.

Johnathyn looked at his brother, intrigued. “Really?” he asked, not quite believing her.

“These,” she said, holding out her night vision goggles, “allow you to see in the dark. You can see the Wraith at night, even if they are hiding in the woods.”

He took them out of her hands and studied them for a second before returning them back to her.

“Emmagan,” Sumner muttered. “What are you doing?”

She forced a smile at the Sheppard brothers as she whispered to the Colonel. “I am attempting to find a common interest between our peoples.”

“If these people can’t help us, I’d rather not waste time here,” Sumner shot back.

Johnathyn studied them for a few seconds before looking at his brother who nodded slightly.

“It’s our tradition to drink tea before dawn every morning. Would you be interested in joining us tomorrow?” Johnathyn offered.

Teyla smiled, glad she was able to reach out to these people.

“Ok,” Sumner agreed.

“When’s morning?” Ford asked.

“In about six hours from now. We will meet again after a good night’s rest,” he said.

Taking that as their cue to leave, the three soldiers filed out of the tent. Johnathyn quickly followed them. “Do you need help returning to the Gate?” he asked.

“No,” Sumner said, pulling his goggles over his eyes. “We’ll find our way back.” He began walking through the forest.

“Major,” Johnathyn called as she began to follow the Colonel.

“Yes?” she asked.

He looked at Sumner who was already walking away. “Friendly, huh?” Johnathyn said.

“I apologize if Colonel Sumner offended you or your brother. We are just trying to find a safe place for our people,” Teyla replied.

“Well,” he said with a smile, “it’s good for your people you were here. Your leader should learn some lessons for you.”

Teyla snickered. “That will not happen.” She looked at Ford who was waiting for her. “I should go.”

Johnathyn nodded. “Be careful,” he said sincerely.

Teyla approached Ford and they moved quickly to catch up to Sumner. The three of them walked silently through the forest until they reached the Gate. The two Marines that were standing guard left their posts and followed them to the Gate.

As Ford was dialing on the DHD, Sumner turned to Teyla. “Good work, Emmagan. I want you with us tomorrow morning.”

Teyla nodded as the wormhole was established. “I hope that they are able to assist us.”

Together, the five of them walked through to Gate. When they stepped onto Atlantis, Dr. Weir was waiting for them. “Any luck?” she asked hopefully.

“We found a village of people,” Sumner said. “Fairly primitive. No electricity. Live in tents. But, we have a meeting with their leader tomorrow morning. We‘ll see if they have any place for us to stay.”

Elizabeth smiled slightly. “Well, that’s good news.”

Sumner shrugged, not convinced of the people’s ability to help. “I want to go back before we meet with them, get a couple of more men with me. I don’t want to have any surprises when the sun comes up.”

Elizabeth nodded, agreeing with the Colonel. “Go ahead.”

Sumner nodded as he walked away. Meanwhile, Teyla stayed behind.

“Is there a problem, Major?” Elizabeth asked.

Teyla hesitated. She already knew how the Colonel felt about her, but she still felt the need to speak up. “Ma’am, I do not believe that Colonel Sumner is the correct person to negotiate a treaty with these people. He is…rude,” she said.

Elizabeth smiled. “Why do you think I sent you with the Colonel?” She leaned to her slightly. “I have the utmost trust in your ability to run interference, Major. If I could leave here, I would, but…” She gestured at the poorly lit Gate room.

“I understand,” Teyla said. She looked up at the control room where Rodney was frantically pacing and yelling at the others with him. “Dr. McKay is still unable to find an adequate power supply?”

Elizabeth nodded, frowning slightly. “He said that the naqahadah power generators are about as helpful as a pack of batteries to power a city. But I know if anyone can figure out a way to get the City to work, it will be Rodney.”

“I hope he can,” Teyla replied. She knew if this City’s shields collapsed and the Gate was destroyed there would never be a way for them to return to Earth, a prospect she was not happy to consider.

Moments later, Sumner returned with several other soldiers who each donned their own pair of night-vision goggles and rifles.

“Ready?” Elizabeth asked.

Sumner nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Hopefully, we’ll find something there,” he said, determined.

“Ok,” she nodded towards Grodin, who started dialing the Gate.

Before he could finish, Rodney leaned over the balcony. “Colonel, unless you want to sink the City faster than it already is, I would suggest you don’t come through the Gate again. Establishing a wormhole drains the power levels significantly. I know everyone expects me to save the City from going under, but it would be nice if I didn‘t have to worry about whether or not someone is going to dial the Gate.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Sumner said, unimpressed by his rebuke.

Seconds later, the wormhole was established and they walked through the Gate. After they arrived back on the planet, Sumner issued out directions to the soldiers. “We know the village is to the south, so let’s just see what’s around the area.” He looked at his watch. “We have about five hours--if their hours are anything like ours. Bates, you, Davis, and Stockhold go to the east. Emmagan, you and Ford scout out the west. The others and I will go north. Check in every thirty minutes.”

They nodded and went their ways. The first several minutes with Ford was quiet, with them carefully scanning the area with their night vision goggles. “Do you mind if I ask you a question?” Ford asked quietly as they pushed their way through some tree branches.

Feeling a wave a déjà vu, Teyla shook her head. “No.”

He paused before speaking. “I’m sure you know how the Colonel feels about you…”

“Yes,” she said, prompting him to continue.

“How did you get the assignment on Atlantis then? I know that Colonel Sumner handpicked every soldier who was going on this expedition,” Ford said as he crushed the fallen leaves on the ground.

Teyla looked at Ford, trying to assess him. Would he judge her if he knew her background? No, she decided. The fact he was talking to her instead of taking the Colonel at his word showed her how fair of a person he was.

“Dr. Weir invited me to the expedition herself,” Teyla answered.

He looked at her, seemingly impressed. “Really?”

She nodded. “Apparently, I have the ATA gene and the uncanny ability to activate Ancient technology easily. Dr. McKay could not stop talking about the fact when I went through the tests in Antarctica. I could not tell if he was amazed or jealous,” she admitted.

“Probably both,” he said with an easy smile. “McKay isn’t known for being the nicest guy.”

“He does seem a bit ornery,” Teyla admitted, looking around.

“Well, if it’s any consolation, I’m glad that Dr. Weir brought you along,” Ford said sincerely. He grinned. “It’s always nice not being the guy who knows the least about the Stargate program.”

She smiled at his playfulness. “Just remember, Lieutenant, I do still outrank you.”


	3. Chapter 3

After a long few hours of finding nothing of significance, Teyla and Ford met up with the others outside of the Athosian camp as the sun was beginning to rise. “Bates and I found an abandoned city,” Sumner reported. “We need to get over there,” he said pointing beyond the trees.

Teyla raised her binoculars up, gazing into the distance. Though it was old and there was considerable damage done to some of the structures, Teyla could see the value the city could provide. Perhaps, they could even find one of the ZPMs Dr. McKay needed to power the city.

"It does seem like there could be a possibility in there," Teyla agreed, putting down the binoculars. “We should ask Johnathyn when we speak with him.”

Sumner nodded as Dafyd came out of the tent. "Johnathyn will meet with you now," he announced.

Sumner held his hand out, allowing Teyla to walk ahead of him. To Bates, he said, "Stay out here with Stackhouse and Evans. If you see anything, you contact me."

Bates nodded. "Understood, sir."

Teyla lifted the flap to the large tent and stepped inside. The pungent smell of tea filled the small room. Behind her, Sumner and Ford walked in the tent.

"What's the story with that city across the way?" Sumner asked without any greeting.

Teyla frowned as she accepted the cup of tea handed to her. She looked at Johnathyn apologetically.

"The City of the Ancestors isn't safe," Dafyd answered as Johnathyn studied them.

"We can handle ourselves," Sumner assured them.

"The Wraith will come if you go over there. You can't go," Dafyd replied, getting upset.

Teyla knew the situation was escalating, quickly she spoke up. "About the Wraith…the boys we found last night mentioned them last night. What exactly are they? Perhaps we have more supplies that can over your protection against them."

Dafyd and Johnathyn exchanged an incredulous look. "Are you telling me you have never encountered the Wraith before?"

Teyla shook her head. "No, we have not."

Johnathyn took a step towards them. "If the Wraith have never come to your home, you need to go back there." He looked at Teyla. "The City would offer you no protection from the Wraith.”

"We would love to go back," Teyla admitted. "But, sir, we cannot. We need a safe place to stay for a while until our people can figure out a way to make our base safe. Time is running short for us."

Johnathyn studied her for a few seconds before speaking. "I'm sorry, but I can't risk the safety of my village, my people, and allow you to go over there."

Sumner frowned. "Gentlemen," he called to Ford and Teyla as he led them outside.

When they stepped outside, away from the hearing of the others, Sumner spoke. "Look, I don't care what they say. That city is worth a look. If they have ZPMs there, then we owe it to Dr. Weir to make sure."

Teyla frowned. "What if the Wraith is the enemy the hologram was speaking about? Should we not find out about them from those who are familiar with them?"

Sumner nodded, "All the more reason for us to have a defensible position should we have to abandon Atlantis. Stay here and find out what you can. Ford, you head back to the Gate, report in to Weir. Tell her we'll have answers for her in a few hours," Sumner ordered.

"Yes, sir," Ford responded.

Teyla watched as Sumner collected Bates and started to walk away. She exchanged a glance with Ford before stepping inside the tent again. At least, she thought hopefully, she wouldn’t have to worry about apologizing for Sumner’s actions.

"My team needed to check in with our people," she half-lied, not wanting to offend Johnathyn or his brother.

"Your leader doesn't seem to think we know what we're talking about," John shot back.

"I do not share his view," Teyla asserted.

He looked at her intently. "No, you don't." He stepped close to her. "You really can't return to your home world? The place that the Wraith have not touched?" he asked quietly.

She shook her head sadly as the images of Halling and Lorne popped in her mind. "No, we cannot. We are trapped here, at least for now. Perhaps in time we can return…"

Johnathyn took a deep breath, making a decision. "Then there is something I need to show you." He turned to Dafyd. "Tell the others to keep an eye on our guests. Don‘t let them enter the city."

Dafyd nodded. “We won’t.”

Johnathyn led Teyla out of the tent and through the village. It was busier than it was during the previous night. Several children ran around, chasing each other. There were several of the Athosians speaking to Bates and Sumner. Others were watching her carefully.

Johnathyn nodded to them as they passed. "So, let me a little about your home, Major. Where is this planet that is free of Wraith?" he asked as they walked by a large field of crops. “I have to tell you, most of my people don’t think it really exists.”

Teyla knew she shouldn't reveal all of the secrets of her galaxy; she hardly knew the man leading her through the forest. However, she did have to fortify the bridge of trust she was hoping to build between the two people.

"Oh, it does exist,“ she answered, thinking about the familiar places and things. She turned to face Johnathyn with a forced grin, there was no reason to think about Earth; it was not as if they could return soon.

“It is very far away," she continued. "But, there are parts of my planet that are similar to this. Much of the land is covered with large trees, but we don’t have villages like yours. We have large cities where most of the people live."

John turned back to her. "The Wraith don't allow big cities to exist. It poses a threat to their power. They come and destroy our towns to remind us they are in charge," John answered.

“What are the Wraith?” Teyla asked.

“That’s what I’m going to show you,” John replied as he made a hard left turn.

They walked in silence for several minutes. “How much further is this place?” Teyla asked, not wanting to be too far from her people.

“We‘re almost there,” he assured her. He climbed over a large root and slid clumsily down the small hill. Quickly, he recovered, brushing off the leaves off his hands. “You would think I would be use to that by now,” he said with a sheepish grin.

Teyla smiled as she carefully stepped down the hill without falling.

“Outdoing your potential trading partners is not the way to establish a good relationship,” he said playfully.

“I will keep that in mind,” she said as she followed him.

Several minutes later, Johnathyn stopped in front of an entrance to an underground cavern. He stepped inside and picked up the torch that was hanging from a wall bracket.

“Dafyd and I played here a lot when we were kids. We think this is where the survivors hid from the Wraith during the last great attack on our planet,” Johnathyn explained.

Teyla watched as he pulled out a strange device from his storage pouch. Amazingly, a beam of light shot out from the item in his hand and lit the torch. At Teyla’s astonished look, he smiled. “We mastered fire a long time ago,” he said with a grin.

Teyla nodded. “It would appear that way,” she said, impressed. Perhaps they had misjudged this people and their technology.

He led them down a long hallway, the light from the torch flickering around the tight area. In the corner, Teyla saw something twinkle in the torch’s light. Like the chair, Teyla was drawn to this small, mysterious item. Carefully, she picked up the item and held it for Johnathyn to look at.

It was a necklace with some kind of intricate pendant. “Is this from one of your villagers?” she asked, studying the piece of jewelry.

Johnathyn turned around, a surprised look breaking out on his face. “This used to be my mother’s.” He turned somber. “I had given it to my former wife, Nancee, a long time ago. After the Wraith took her, the necklace went missing. I thought they had taken it with them when they culled the planet.”

He took the necklace from her. “Thank you.”

Teyla felt a bit awkward; Johnathyn obviously had a painful history. She changed the subject and pointed the light from her P-90 to the markings on the wall. “Were these drawn by your ancestors?”

Johnathyn nodded, placing the necklace in his front pocket. “There are hundreds of drawings. Some of them are thousands of years old.” He studied the drawings until he found the one he was looking for. He pointed it to Teyla.

“Is this a record of your city being destroyed?” Teyla asked.

Johnathyn shook his head. “This drawing was drawn before that happened.”

Teyla suppressed a shutter as the implication set in. “Are you saying that your people knew it was going to happen?”

Johnathyn nodded. “I believe it happens again and again. The Wraith allow our kind to grow in numbers, and when that number reaches a certain point they return to cull their human herd. Sometimes a few hundred years will pass before they return to a planet in full force. We've visited many, many worlds, all of them have been attacked by the Wraith and no one has been able to fight them.”

He looked at the picture in front of him. “The last great holocaust was five generations ago, but still they return, in smaller numbers, to remind us of their power.” Johnathyn looked at her. “Your planet is the first planet that I have heard that was not encountered the Wraith. The Ancestors have looked at your planet kindly.”

She frowned as she looked at more of the drawings. “It must be difficult,” she said softly.

“It’s a hell of a way to live,” Johnathyn agreed. “We have to move our hunting grounds every couple of cycles. We try to teach the children not to live in fear, but they know it’s a matter of time before they will come again.” He paused for a second, as if trying to decide something. Finally, he spoke. “Some of us can sense the Wraith coming. My mother called it a great Gift.”

“Do you have this Gift?” Teyla asked.

He hesitated before nodding. “It has come in handy more than once.” He started walking towards the entrance. “We should get back. It will be dark soon.”

Teyla frowned; it had only been a couple of hours since daylight broke. She was on a completely different planet, she reminded herself. Not everyone in the universe lived on a 24 hour timeframe.

He led her out of the cavern, setting the torch in its place before walking out to the treed area. “You and your people are welcome to stay for our evening meal,” he invited. “The hunting party should have returned.”

“We appreciate it.” She thought about Dr. Weir and the others on Atlantis. “Have you considered letting us stay with you?” she asked, her eyes adjusting to the darkness.

“I have,” he said. Before he continued, he paused as if concentrating. Suddenly he looked up as a strange sound came from the distance.

“What is wrong?” Teyla asked, gripping her P-90.

“The Wraith!” Johnathyn yelled, racing towards the village.

Teyla tried to keep up with Johnathyn, but he was significantly ahead of her. “Johnathyn!” she called out. He didn’t turn around as he turned, going out of Teyla’s sight. Teyla ran several hundred yards, trying to keep track of where he went; the forest looked totally different at night.

Suddenly, her radio sounded. “Colonel, they are on the ground. They’re surrounding us!” called Stackhouse.

Suddenly, she heard the hum of an engine. Teyla looked up, watching the flying ship coming at her. Teyla raised her gun and started to fire at the low flying ship. It was far more advanced than anything she had ever seen. It looked like one of those ships she had seen when Evan had made her watch the Star Wars movies.

When the ship flew away, unharmed, she spun around, making sure none of the Wraith had found her. “Johnathyn?” she called in vein.

Something appeared out of the corner of her eye. Quickly, she turned around and shot at the wispy, almost ghost-like creature. Seeing another, she turned to face this unknown enemy. Before she could fire, Johnathyn walked through the creature.

“They’re not real,” he said.

Teyla looked at him, surprised.

“Don’t trust what you see. The Wraith can make you see things that aren’t there. It’s just one more way they control us,” Johnathyn explained. “We need to get back.”

Together, they ran through the forest. Teyla slowed down slightly. When Johnathyn paused, looking at her questioningly, she answered, “I need to tell my people what you told me.” She opened her comm. channel. “Colonel, this is Emmagan. What you see on the ground is just an illusion created by the Wraith. We should concentrate on firing on the ships.”

“Understood, Emmagan. Now get your ass back here. On the double,” Sumner barked.

“Yes, sir,” she replied as she started running at full speed again.

They finally reached an opening, allowing Teyla to sprint. Another ship was coming from behind, projecting a bright white beam. Teyla pushed herself to run faster; the beam was gaining on her. To her surprise, as the beam nearly touched her feet, Johnathyn pushed her out of the way.

Teyla fell forward, her head slamming against a ridged rock. She pushed herself up, gingerly touching the gash in her head. She pulled her hand away; blood was covering it. She looked around. “Johnathyn? Johnathyn!”

She stood up, staggering slightly. Johnathyn was nowhere to be found. Before she could thoroughly look, Stackhouse spoke through her comm. channel. “Sir, the Colonel and Sergeant Bates have been taken.”

Teyla closed her eyes. They had been totally unprepared for this attack. “Understood,” she replied, “I will be there soon.”

She started running back to the village, ignoring the throbbing in her head. She swiped the blood off her forehead as she forced her legs to move faster.

“The Gate is activating again. They are trying to get off this planet. Two enemy ships are approaching,” Ford said through the radio.

Teyla could see the village ahead, smoke rising. “They have the Colonel and the leader of these people on board. Let them go through the Gate. But, Lieutenant, it is necessary for you to remember the gate address,” Teyla instructed.

“Understood. They are coming this way now.”

The radio went silent.

Teyla walked carefully through the outskirts of the village, finding the wreckage of a fallen craft. Sparks and smoke rose from the ship. As she took a step, she noticed a severed arm. She knelt down to get a better look.

To her shock, the arm began to move, dragging itself along the ground with its fingers.

She stood up quickly and shot it twice. What were these creatures? Before she could study the arm, she quickly turned around as she heard footsteps approaching.

One of the young boys, she saw the night before ran up to her. “Help me! Please!” Jinto pleaded.

Teyla looked at the hand, making sure it was no longer a threat. It lay there, unmoving.

“I can’t find my father,” the boy continued. “I think he was taken in the ship.”

Teyla looked at him sympathetically. “We will find him,” she assured him.

She patted Jinto on the shoulder. “Get the others in your village. Tell them to come with me. It is no longer safe here.”

Jinto nodded as he ran away. Teyla closed her eyes briefly. The throbbing in her head had only gotten worse, but she couldn’t focus on that right now. The rescue of her fellow soldiers and those villagers that had been taken would be her only focus. She tapped her radio.

“Ford, this is Emmagan. Did you get those symbols?” she asked hopefully.

“Yes, Ma’am,” he reported.

Teyla allowed herself a brief smile. At least one thing was going in their favor. “Good. Now I need you to round up all the Marines and get them back to the Gate. We must return to Atlantis before those creatures come back,” she said.

“Understood.” Then the comm channel went silent.

She went to the village and quickly found a sack made from some kind of animal’s skin. She picked it up and went back to the place where she had shot the moving hand. Carefully, she picked up the arm and sealed it up in her pack. Maybe Dr. Beckett would be able to determine what kind of creature this was.

Teyla walked back to the village where a large fire was burning. She noted with sadness how many of the tents had been destroyed by the ships. Jinto was nowhere to be seen, so she continued making her way to the other side of the village.

The crops she had seen earlier which were full of life were now burning. So much of the village had been destroyed, she wondered if they would ever be able to rebuild. She walked to the tent where she had met Johnathyn.

It was there that the young boy found her. “I have the others,” he said, out of breath.

Behind him stood close to a hundred people. She frowned; she had severely underestimated how many people were in this village. Some of them were going through the undamaged tents, grabbing their personal items.

She knew Elizabeth wouldn’t be pleased with the refugees, but Teyla couldn’t help that. There was no time to change her mind, she needed to get them off this planet.

“Where is Dafyd?” she asked.

One of the older men shook his head, looking up to the sky. “Dafyd was taken. The Ancestors couldn’t protect him.”

She sighed softly as she led the group of people to the gate where Ford and the other Marines were waiting for her.

“What‘s going on?” Ford asked, nodding towards the people.

Teyla turned back and faced them briefly before turning back to Ford. “This has turned into a rescue mission.” She lowered her voice. “I can not leave them there. There village has been almost completely destroyed.”

He looked at the group before nodding. Then he studied her for a few seconds. “Are you ok, Ma’am?” he asked, looking at her forehead.

She reached up and touched her forehead, nearly forgetting about the gash in her head. “I will be fine. Dial the Gate.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” he replied, as he turned back to the DHD. He quickly punched in the symbols. Within seconds, a wormhole was established with Atlantis.

Teyla turned to the villagers. “Come. You will be safe with us.” She only hoped she could keep her word. She turned back to the Gate and stepped through the event horizon.

Moments later, she arrived on Atlantis. Things had apparently gotten worse while they were away; McKay was frantically pacing in the control room, shouting to Peter, and Elizabeth was wearing a deep frown.

Perhaps she was wrong in bringing those people to Atlantis.

As she heard footsteps coming behind her, she knew there was no other option. These people were coming.

“Please, come over here,” she instructed the villagers.

Elizabeth ran down the stairs, looking panicked. “Major Emmagan?”

Before she could say anything else, the wormhole shut down as the last of the people stepped through the gate. The ground below them began to shake.

“Major Emmagan,” Elizabeth started after the shaking stopped. “Who are all these people?”

Teyla looked back at the newcomers. Some of them were injured; all of them were frightened. They whispered to each other as they looked around the large room.

“These are the survivors from the settlement. We were attacked by the Wraith. Colonel Sumner and some of the other soldiers were taken,” explained Teyla.

Suddenly, the base shook violently.

“What is going on?” Teyla asked.

Elizabeth shook her head. “We are in no condition to help anyone right now.”

“What is going on, Dr. Weir?” inquired Teyla again, disturbed by not knowing what was happening.

“We’re about to abandon the city.”

Teyla looked at her in disbelief. Had things become that bad? She had thought Rodney said they had a couple of days’ worth of power left.

Still, she didn’t feel comfortable leading those on the expedition to the planet, not when the Wraith could come back. “We should not go back there, Dr. Weir. It is far too dangerous.”

Elizabeth faced her, getting annoyed. “Major Emmagan, the shield is about to fail and the ocean is about to come crashing in on us. Do you have a better place for us to go?”

Teyla shook her head. She didn’t, but she knew someone who perhaps did. She turned to the group of Athosians, noticing the little boy in the front of the group. “Jinto, do you know any other gate address that we can travel to?” she asked hopefully.

Jinto nodded eagerly, wanting to get off this strange planet. “Yes. Many.”

Teyla gently guided him to the stairs towards the control room. “I need you to tell that man,” she said, pointing to Peter, “what address to dial.”

“He’s just a boy,” Elizabeth replied as Teyla continued to walk by her.

“I am Jinto,” he introduced himself as they reached the top of the stairs.

“We will have time to introduce each other later,” Teyla said. She refused to acknowledge the computer screens screaming “SHEILD FAILURE IMMINENT”.

They would be able to get off Atlantis to somewhere safe.

They had to.

“The shield is collapsing,” Rodney shouted. “We need to go now!”

A large jolt knocked everyone off of their feet. Teyla hit her head on the console, causing her forehead to bust open again. She knew she should get up, but her brain couldn’t convince her body to move.

The world went completely back for several seconds. She knew that someone was calling her, but her muddled mind couldn’t process the words. Teyla felt someone trying to lift her up. She forced herself to open her eyes and was greeted by a terrified Rodney McKay.

“Major?” Rodney asked.

She blinked several times, trying to get him to focus. “Yes?“ she asked, trying to sound as normal as possible.

“Are you ok?” he asked, offering her a hand.

Teyla took his hand as he helped her stand groggily on her feet. “I have been better,” she admitted.

“I’m dialing an address,” Peter called.

“No, wait!” Elizabeth called. “Something is happening.”

Teyla held onto the console, trying to keep the room from spinning.

“She’s right,” Rodney agreed, looking out of the large windows. “We’re rising out of the water.”

Seconds later, bright sunlight shone throughout the control rooms numerous windows. It looked like they had somehow managed to survive.

“We’re on the surface,” Ford said, a big grin breaking out on his face.

Weir smiled. “I was hoping for another day. Looks like we just got a whole lot more than that. Let's not waste it.” She turned to Ford. “Lieutenant, I want you to find a place for our guests. Rodney,” she said looking up at the control room, “please escort the Major to Dr. Beckett.”

**************************

Much to Rodney’s delight, Teyla did not lose consciousness as they made their way to the infirmary. After she grabbed the pack that held the Wraith’s arm, the two of them made their way to Carson.

The dizziness has passed, but based on the winces on people’s face, she knew she had a serious gash on her head.

The doors slid apart as they approached the infirmary. “Carson!” Rodney called.

The doctor was on the other side of the room, organizing the medical supplies on a large shelving unit. When he caught sight of Teyla, he quickly walked over to them. Carson looked at her, frowning. “That’s quite a nasty cut you’ve got there, Major.”

“Now, if you would excuse me, I’ve got countless systems to check,” Rodney huffed, leaving the two of them alone.

“Let’s check that out,” he said, leading her to an examination table. Carson rolled a strange looking machine closer to her. “I’m pretty sure this is some kind of medical scanner.” He smiled sheepishly. “Apparently, you’re going to be my test subject, Major.”

She eyed the machine. It didn’t seem like it could cause any major harm.

“Stay still,” he instructed as he turned on the machine.

Teyla did as she was told, not moving as a light ran over her head.

Seconds later, a stream of data appeared on the screen next to her. Carson quickly reviewed the information. “Well, the good news is you don’t have a concussion,” he said brightly.

“And the bad news is?”

He smiled apologetically as he went to a cabinet and retrieved some supplies. “This is going to sting more than a wee bit.”

She winced as he rubbed the wound with rubbing alcohol.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, trying to get her mind off the pain. “Any dizziness? Trouble focusing?”

She shook her head. “Not any longer. Other than a headache, I feel fine.”

“Well,” he said, threading a needle, “a few stitches, a couple of aspirin and you’ll be set.”

She backed slightly from the needle. “Is that necessary?”

He smiled patiently. “I wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t.”

She sat there, feeling like she should be doing something to save those that were taken by the Wraith, instead of getting treatment. Hopefully, Ford would be able to work with Dr. McKay to find out where they were taken.

Images of the ships flying over the village filled her mind. How would they ever be able to defeat an enemy that the Ancients couldn’t?

“Want to talk about it?” Carson asked kindly.

Teyla smiled sheepishly, embarrassed to have been caught daydreaming. “I am questioning our ability to defeat the Wraith. They are unlike anything I have ever seen.” She paused. “Outside of a movie.”

“Well, I would say that things are looking up for us. Ten minutes ago we were all doomed to a watery grave. Now…” he shrugged. “I know you’re new to the Stargate program, but we have overcome worse odds than this.”

Teyla knew he was right; this was far from the first threat that Stargate program had ever encountered. But, it was the first hostile alien exchange she had to deal with and it was difficult for her to process.

As if reading her thoughts, he spoke. “You will get use to this, Major.” He looked at her stitches. “Good as new,” he proclaimed.

She hopped off the table. “Thank you, Doctor.” She picked up the pack she had placed on a nearby table. “I wanted you to look at this. I believe this came from the Wraith.” Pushing down her disgust, she pulled the arm out, setting it on a stainless steel tray.

Carson’s disgusted look almost made her laugh aloud. “I have to say, Major,“ he said with frown, “the next time you want to give me a gift, just keep it.”

*************************

When Teyla returned to the control room, Ford was ordering those around him to organize the equipment they had brought from earth and the refugees were collecting their belongings. Seeing that things were under control, she walked up the stairs where McKay and Elizabeth were.

“…naqahdah generators supply enough power to the shield for defensive purposes?” asked Weir.

McKay shook his head. “Not even close.”

Teyla frowned. If they had no shield, there was no way to protect themselves from a Wraith attack. “Without the shield working, the Wraith can easily attack us.”

Rodney rolled his eyes, his earlier compassion gone. “I'm acutely aware of that, Major, but thank you for reinforcing it.”

Teyla drew a long breath. It was going to take her a while to get use to Dr. McKay’s acerbic tongue. She turned her attention to the issue foremost on her mind. “When will you be able to determine where the Wraith took Colonel Sumner and the others?”

Rodney looked at her like she was a simpleton. “Even with the six symbols Lieutenant Ford provided there are still hundreds of permutations …”

“Seven hundred and twenty.”

Rodney looked at her, surprised. “Yes. I knew that of course. I'm just surprised you did.”

She raised her eyebrow at his remark. “Perhaps it would be wise not to underestimate me,” she said. “If you remove the coordinates you cannot get a lock on, you should have the place where they are being held. Then we can get our people back.”

Elizabeth shook her head as McKay walked away. “Major. A word.”

Teyla adjusted her uniform before following Elizabeth to the balcony, trying to get her temper in check. She had a strong suspicion why Elizabeth called this private meeting.

Before she could become upset, the stunning view of the ocean stopped her. Together, the women looked at the expansive waters in front of them. There was no land masses as far as the eye could see; Atlantis was alone.

She turned back to face Elizabeth, not able let the issue drop. “You are not going to let me rescue my people, are you?” she asked, hoping she misjudged the woman standing in front of her.

Elizabeth looked at her, frowning. “Major, you don’t even know if they are alive.”

Teyla felt her pulse quicken, eager to defend her position. “Dr. Weir, you never leave people in the hands of the enemy.” She knew she should stop there, but the urgency to make the doctor understand where she was coming from was too strong to ignore. “And the fact that we are having this conversation in private shows me that you know I am correct. So as ranking military officer I--”

The Major could see that she had pushed too far. She had become more than a nuisance to Weir; she had seriously gotten the doctor furious.

Before she could retract her words, Elizabeth spoke. “Alright, just shut up and listen to me for a moment, alright? Come on, what do we know about the Wraith? One of the few things we do know is that they are the enemy that defeated the Ancients. When we first began to use the Stargate we found on Earth, we got ourselves into serious trouble -- why?”

Teyla had stopped paying attention when Weir started her lecture. Here they had a golden opportunity to get a lead on getting their people back and Weir insisted on talking to her as if she was an infant. “A history lesson is unnecessary, Dr. Weir,” she said coolly.

Elizabeth continued as if Teyla hadn’t spoken. “Because they didn't consider the ramifications before they reacted.”

Teyla frowned. “Those creatures took our people. How else would you have me react?”

“And we’re defenseless, you said so yourself,” replied Weir. “How do you know going off on some half-assed mission isn’t going to bring them back to Atlantis?”

The Major’s gut tightened as she realized that the doctor was seriously considering NOT letting her go. Didn’t she understand the importance of leaving no one behind? In fact, if it hadn‘t been for Johnathyn pushing out of the dart‘s beam, she would be stuck on that ship with them. “Perhaps it will, perhaps it won‘t. However, it is the right thing to do. That is not always the easiest choice to make.”

For a moment, Elizabeth softened. “Teyla…”

She, however, was in no mood to be coddled. “If we are going to let our people be imprisoned by those creatures, we may as well return to earth as soon as possible, because those Wraiths are coming. Of that I am certain.” Teyla suppressed a shiver as the images Johnathyn had showed her entered her mind. She couldn’t even begin to imagine the hardship he and his people faced with the Wraith.

Shaking her head, Elizabeth said, “You don’t know that.”

“Our people are in the hands of those vile creatures. Do you know what that means? It is only a matter of time before they figure out where they came from,” argued Teyla.

Elizabeth was not ready to back down. “I just need more information. I mean, who knows, maybe we could negotiate a peaceful …”

Teyla could hardly believe her ears. “A peaceful negotiation will not happen. We were there no longer than a few hours before they showed up.” She crossed her arms. “They were not in the mood to talk.”

“Is it possible they came because of you, and that one of these people you brought back here with you tipped them off?” asked Elizabeth

Teyla shifted uncomfortably. “It is possible,” she admitted.

“See, that is exactly the kind of snap decision I'm referring to!”

Teyla shook her head adamantly. “They are not all bad people, Dr. Weir. If we intend to continue this expedition, we are going to need allies.” The image of Johnathyn Sheppard, leader of the Athosians popped in her mind.

Though she had known him less than a day there was something about him that made her believe that he and his people could help Atlantis. “Dr. Weir, their leader, Johnathyn, pushed me out of the way. He sacrificed himself so that I was not taken. I think that can testify to the sincerity of these people.”

Elizabeth nodded as she considered Teyla’s words, and then started speaking. “I see your point. Now you see mine: I will not authorize a rescue mission unless I am sure there is at least a remote chance of success. I'm not sending more good people, including you, to their deaths.”

Teyla knew that was the best she could get from Elizabeth. “I understand.”

Now, she just had to figure out a way to get her people and the Athosians out of that Wraith ship.


	4. Chapter 4

Nearly an hour passed before they were able to determine which order of symbols successfully established a wormhole. As Peter controlled the MALP through the event horizon, Teyla allowed herself a brief glimmer of hope. Perhaps she would be able to convince Elizabeth to allow a rescue mission.

“We’re receiving visual telemetry,” Peter announced.

Teyla and Elizabeth stepped slightly closer to the screen. There was nothing coming over the screen.

“I can’t see anything,” Elizabeth said, squinting at the screen.

McKay looked at a readout to the side. “There are no atmospheric readings at all.”

Suddenly, a round object passed by the screen quickly. Teyla pointed to the screen. “What was that?”

“Rotate the camera,” McKay told Grodin.

A couple of keystrokes caused the camera to turn around. Teyla frowned as the image appeared. It took a couple of seconds for her to process the fact it wasn’t on solid ground. In fact, Teyla was pretty sure what they had seen on the screen was a planet.

“Well, there goes that MALP,” complained Rodney.

“It is floating in space,” Teyla commented, wondering if Stargates floating above planets was a normal thing.

McKay nodded. “It’s in high orbit around a planet on the far side of the galaxy,” he replied as he studied the data coming from the MALP.

Elizabeth watched the dizzying footage as the MALP continued to spin around in the vacuum of space. “You’re sure this is the right address?”

McKay shrugged. “It’s the only one we could get a lock on.”

“Very well. Shut it down.” She turned to face Teyla, a sincere frown on her face. “I’m sorry, Major.” She closed her eyes briefly before walking away.

Teyla looked at the screen, feeling as helpless as the MALP was floating in space. That was it? The lives of those who were taking were just to be forgotten? To walk away now went against every fiber of her being.

“There must be something we can do,” Teyla said softly.

Rodney looked at her briefly. “Come with me, Major,” McKay said, walking out of the control room.

As they continued walking down the hallways, now flooded with bright sunlight, Teyla’s mind raced to figure out some kind of solution. She laughed inwardly. It wasn’t like she could steal a chopper and go on a rescue mission.

Then again, Teyla thought as they entered into a large room, maybe she was wrong.

It was a hangar. True, she admitted inwardly as she stepped inside, the aircraft were different, but there was no doubt in her mind what this room was. There were at least a dozen crafts; most of them had a couple of scientists studying them.

“This way,“ Rodney said as he led her to one of the oblong ships. As they approached, the rear hatch of the vessel opened, courtesy of Teyla’s ATA gene. The lights flickered to life as they walked inside the small ship.

Teyla looked around. The rear compartment was relatively small; it could hold about a half dozen people with their gear. She ducked her head slightly as she stepped forward. In the front, two seats were placed in front of a large control panel. Instinctively, Teyla touched the console, causing it to light up.

“Do you think you can fly it?” he asked.

“I think it would be wise to find out.” She took a seat and waited for McKay to do the same.

With a quick thought, the engines were activated and the ship floated slightly off the ground. This, Teyla thought with a smile, was too easy.

To the side of her, Rodney was not enjoying the sudden movement. He looked around frantically. “Where are the seatbelts? Do you know what could happen if we crashed into something? The fatality rate--”

“Dr. McKay,” she said calmly, “I am not going to crash into anything.”

Turning on the engines was a good thing, but Teyla wondered how she was going to take this ship out to test its ability to fly. As if sensing her thoughts, a large hatch on the side of the bay opened, allowing her a way to exit the room.

“That was convenient,” she commented.

Rodney gripped his seat as the ship effortlessly started to rise. “I knew I should have had Zelenka show you this,” he complained. He craned his neck, trying to look at the floor. “Watch out for the beams overhead and the other ships.”

Teyla smiled patiently. “I am, Dr. McKay.”

She needed to see how the ship flew, how it could maneuver, how fast it could go. This could be her way of saving those people. She looked at McKay mischievously, filled with an optimism that she hadn’t felt since she stepped through the Stargate.

“I hope you enjoy flying,” she said simply before guiding the ship out of the hatch.

Seconds later, they were hovering over the city of Atlantis. She drew in a breath as the vastness of Atlantis shone; they hadn’t even begun to see a glimmer of how huge the city was. Dozens of towers glistened in the sunlight. The architecture of the buildings were stunning. Even her passenger couldn’t help but to notice.

“Wow, uh, seems we’ll be exploring this for a while,” he said, still gripping the seat of his chair.

“Yes, it does,” she said, continuing the guide the ship further through the planet’s atmosphere.

“What are you doing?” McKay squeaked.

Teyla couldn’t help but to be amused. Here was a man who walked through wormholes created by the Ancients but he was scared to fly in the machine created by them. “I am seeing how this ship flies in space,” she said calmly. “It does need to be space travel worthy in order to save our people.”

“Did I miss the memo where it said you were part of NASA?” he shot back.

“Hang on,” she said as they cleared the atmosphere.

To both of their surprise, there was no jolt as they entered open space; the inertial  
dampeners on the ship were far superior than either of them had expected. Effortlessly, she guided the ship, making basic maneuvers throughout space.

“Do you think Dr. Weir will allow a rescue team to go after our people when we show her this?” Teyla asked, knowing how familiar he was with Elizabeth.

He nodded. “I think she would. I’ll talk to her. You know, if we survive the landing and all that.”

“Thank you,” she said, entering the ship into the planet’s atmosphere. As much as she would love the fly the ship around, getting accustomed to the way it flew and associating herself with all the controls, she knew the time was running out for those who were captured by the Wraith.

Moments later, she landed the craft back in its bay and released the rear hatch.

“Do you want to come with me?” McKay asked, grateful to be on firm land again.

Teyla shook her head. “I would like to try to determine what some of these controls do.”

He frowned. “Just make sure you don‘t fly and crash in the wall.”

As he walked out of the cabin, Teyla felt hope. Those people would be saved. She knew she still needed to overcome the obstacle of convincing Elizabeth, but she hoped that the doctor would see how necessary it was to rescue those people.

She scanned over the controls. It was fortunate that she didn’t have to know what any of the controls meant; she had been unable to take a crash course in Ancient written language before the expedition. Still, she thought, it would be nice if she could hide from the Wraith.

The ship made an awkward sound. She looked around, but didn’t see anything. She would need Dr. McKay to figure out what kind of defense mechanisms the ship had, if any.

She looked through the window, watching the scientists work. One of them, a taller man with a ponytail, was walking right towards the ship. She tried to call out to him, but he seemed oblivious to the fact the vessel was there.

With a loud thud, he walked right into the ship.

“What the hell?” he yelled.

Teyla ran out of the back of the ship, running towards the injured man.

“Are you alright? Should I page Dr. Beckett?” she asked.

“No,” he said, annoyed. “What did you do anyway?” he asked, holding his forehead.

“Me? I did nothing. You walked into the ship,” she replied indignantly. She pointed behind her to the ship.

Nothing was there.

She frowned. “I was sitting in the cabin of the ship. I watched you walk into the front of it,” she explained.

“And you didn’t think you should warn me?” he spat out.

“I tried,” she countered.

He stood up, picking up the tablet he dropped. He carefully walked forward, putting one hand out until he touched the outside of the ship. “Well, I guess we can add cloaking technology to the list of things this thing can do. Just one more thing McKay will want to know about.” He frowned at her as he walked away.

Cloaking technology? This was exactly what they needed. Quickly, she found the back of the ship and entered it.

She couldn’t wait to show Dr. McKay what she discovered.

Several minutes later, she saw Elizabeth and Dr. McKay entering the bay. The ship was already cloaked; the engines were humming quietly.

“What is that noise?” Elizabeth asked, looking around the room.

Rodney looked around, confused. “I don’t…She was right here.” He spun around the room. “Major?”

Teyla decided the teasing had gone on long enough; she uncloaked the ship, but left it hovering off the ground a few inches. She opened a comm channel. “Do you believe this will give us enough of a tactical advantage?” she asked Elizabeth.

Weir looked at the ship in amazement, but was still unwilling to relent. “Alright, so you can fly that thing. It doesn’t mean a rescue attempt will be successful.”

“Doctor,” Teyla replied confidently, “with this, I can assure you it will be.”

*************************

Less than twenty minutes later, Ford and a group of Marines were loaded in the ship with Teyla.

“All right, boys, get ready to go,” Ford said as the rear door closed. Most of the Marines stayed in the back, but Ford came to the front, taking a seat next to Teyla. He activated the comm channel. “Gate Ship One, ready to go.”

Teyla cut off the audio feed. “Gate Ship One?” she asked. “Do you know think the name is rather…excessive?”

“What?” Ford asked defensively. “It’s a ship. It goes through the Gate. Gate Ship One. It‘s a good name.”

Teyla shook her head. “I have to respectfully disagree, Lieutenant. This is nothing more than a little puddle jumper.”

Ford sat back in his seat, frowning. “Doctor McKay thought it was cool,” he huffed.

“But Doctor McKay is not a pilot,” she countered. She opened the audio link. “Flight, this is…” she paused as she thought for a second. “Puddle Jumper. We are ready for launch.” She turned to Ford, who was nodding.

“That would have been my second choice,” he said with a slight grin.

“Er, this is Flight. I thought we were going with Gate Ship?” replied Rodney.

Teyla couldn’t help a small smile. She knew that Rodney hated when things changed unexpectedly. “Negative, Flight.”

“Stand by.” There was a long pause. Teyla could only imagine what was going on in the control room. Finally, he spoke again. “Fine, Puddle Jumper, you are clear for launch.” There was no mistaking the irritation in his voice.

Teyla nodded. “Dial the gate, Lieutenant,” she said, her mind now fully focused on the rescue mission.

He reached in between them and dialed the coordinates. The ceiling above them opened, allowing them access to the Gate room. As the jumper rose up, Teyla could see the bluish glow of the established wormhole. With a simple thought, Teyla guided the jumper through the gate.

Seconds later, they arrived on the other side of the wormhole. Instantly, Teyla cloaked her ship. As she effortlessly guided the ship, she couldn’t help but to be surprised at the ease of controlling such a vessel.

“It looks like you got the hang of it,” Ford commented.

She nodded. “This is the most amazing ship I have ever flown in. I could never imagine anything like this. It is almost as if it reads your mind.”

Suddenly, a holographic readout appeared over the front window.

“Did you just do that?” Ford asked.

“I was just wondering where we should go from here,” Teyla said, eyeing the display.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Ford looked at her with amusement. He looked out to the large planet below. Even if the jumper led them to a location close to where the Wraith had taken their people, it would still be difficult to find the people taken by the Wraith. “So how do we find them once we land?”

Teyla shook her head. “I do not know, but I have been trying to figure that out. Perhaps, we will--”

Beside her, a panel opened up revealing a small rectangular device with a tiny readout screen. She took it off the wall and placed it into her jacket pocket. This was almost too easy, she thought.

“It was convenient,” Ford noted.

Teyla nodded. Maybe she was overcomplicating the mission. “Perhaps, if I think of the people that were captured, the ship could beam them aboard and we would not have to go to the planet‘s surface.” She thought about Sumner and the others for a couple of seconds.

They looked around, waiting for them to materialize.

“I guess it would be too easy,” Teyla replied, disappointed her idea didn’t work.

“It was worth a try,” Ford said simply.

Within several seconds, they were entering the planet’s atmosphere. The ship was guiding itself to the location the computer had plotted. As they started to land, Teyla got a glimpse of what they were going to have to infiltrate.

This was going to be harder than she thought.

An enormous structure, covered in trees and growth was in front of them. To the side of her, Ford frowned. “They’re in that thing?” he asked.

“It would appear that way,” she said.

Ford nodded. “All right, men, let’s lock and load,” he said as he entered the rear of the ship.

Teyla landed the jumper, decloaking the vessel. She stood up, checked her P-90 and stepped outside. The Marines and she checked the immediate area. There were no signs of the Wraith here.

Good, she thought, at least they hadn’t been detected. Yet.

“Alright,” she said, “I want teams of two to search the area. Lay down defenses as you see fit. When we leave, we are going to need some kind of explosion set up as a diversion.” She looked at the solider closest to her. “Two clicks, you’re clear to talk.”

Stackhouse nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Do not engage the enemy,” she ordered. She faced Ford. “Come with me.”

******************

Teyla led Ford down the darkened corridor. So far the resistance they had met from the Wraith was minimal; obviously they were unaccustomed to people coming back for those that had been taken. Teyla was grateful, she would take any advantage she would get.

She and Ford ducked into a corner as they heard footsteps approaching. A creature Teyla assumed to be a Wraith stormed by, not bothering to look around for any intruders. After he passed by, the two of them stepped out from the shadows.

“I did not expect infiltrating the building to be so easy,” Teyla admitted softly.

Ford nodded. “That’s the first one we’ve seen,” he agreed. Quietly, he reached up and planted some C4 on the wall.

Now that they had encountered their first Wraith, Teyla thought it would be wise to see how the device she found in the jumper worked. She pulled it out, looking at the screen. “This should be him,” she said, referring to the dot that to retreating. “Go over there,” she instructed Ford.

A tiny dot blinked, showing Ford’s movements. “Yes, that is you.”

“So we got ourselves a life signs detector,” Ford said, grinning.

“Yes, it would appear that way,” Teyla said, looking at the screen. They walked down the corridor several yards when Teyla noticed something encouraging. “Perhaps, these are the prisoners,” she said hopefully. She held out the device to show Ford several green dots grouped close together.

Ford nodded. “Might be, but we need to be careful, in case it‘s a trap.”

Slowly, they walked down the long hallway. Two guards were walking down the path, but thanks to the detector, Ford and Teyla were able to keep themselves hidden from their view.

Once the area was clear, they continued down the path. Finally, they found an area with several large cells.

Teyla nodded towards the middle cell where the life signs detector showed the prisoners. They cautiously cleared the area before approaching the cell door.

“Major?” Johnathyn asked, clearly surprised.

“We must be quiet. There are several Wraiths who are patrolling the area,” Teyla replied. She stepped up to the bars and saw a couple of Marines and several Athosians sitting in the cell.

Johnathyn stepped to her and reached out carefully touching her stitches. “Are you ok?” he asked sincerely.

“I am fine,” she replied.

He moved his fingers away from her wound and took a step back. “How did you find us?”

“Are the others safe?” Dafyd quickly asked.

Teyla nodded. “We evacuated your people to our planet. They are all well.” She looked around the cell. “Where is Colonel Sumner?”

Bates stood up. “He was taken by the Wraith a while ago. He hasn’t returned.”

Teyla frowned. This would complicate the rescue considerably. She didn’t want to separate from Ford, but she didn’t have a choice. She wouldn’t let this affect her drive; she would get every person off this planet and back to Atlantis.

“This changes things,” she said quietly to Ford. She tapped her radio twice.

“This is Stackhouse, go ahead, Ma’am.”

“We need something to distract the Wraith. I need you and the others to let the Wraith know they are not alone,” she replied.

“Yes, Ma‘am.”

Teyla turned to Ford, stepping slightly away from the cell. “Prepare the C4. When I give you the signal, I want you to blow a hole and evacuate these people.” She held up the life signs detector. “I should be able to find the Colonel with this. If I do not return in twenty minutes, blow the cells and leave.”

“You’re the only one who can fly us out of here,” Ford replied, worried.

“I will get to the jumper. With the Colonel,” she assured him.

Ford shook his head. “I should be the one to go, sir,” he argued. “Just in case…”

“Stay here,” she insisted. “Get ready. I will find him.” She turned around, armed with her P-90 and her detector and set off.

*********************

Twenty minutes was not going to be enough time.

She had severely underestimated how large the structure was; most of it must have been buried underground. She had been walking nearly non-stop for over ten minutes, twisting and turning through the elaborate hallways. She wasn’t able to move as fast as she would like; each step she took had to be silent.

Teyla frowned as she looked at the life signs detector. So far, the device she held was good at warning her that there were upcoming Wraith guards, but it wasn’t as successful in finding Sumner.

She ducked behind a corner as another Wraith guard walked by. She had been fortunate, so far she hadn’t needed to fire a single shot and they hadn’t noticed her.

The hallways were beginning to look similar; she hoped she would be able to find her way out once she had found Sumner. She checked the readout, turned the corner and continued making her way through the corridors.

She knew that her time was running out. A quick glance at her watch showed she had seven minutes left.

Suddenly, she heard a loud, painful scream.

It was Colonel Sumner.

Teyla clutched her gun and began to run in the direction she had heard the sound. Several yards later, she reached a T-intersection. She looked at the readout, hoping she was close enough to the Colonel to detect him.

There was no sign of Sumner.

Going with her instinct, she turned to the left and continued down the passageway. Finally, several seconds later, a green dot showing Sumner’s location appeared on the readout. She ran to the end of the hallway where the wall opened up, giving her access to see the ground below her.

On the floor beneath her, there was a large banquet table with a skeleton sitting at the end of it. There was a Wraith woman with strikingly red, long hair and a guard standing next to her in the center of the room. Besides the table another guard was standing close to an old man who was on the floor, kneeling next to female Wraith.

Teyla looked at him and tried not to gasp as she realized that she was looking at a significantly aged Colonel Sumner. He looked like he was ninety years old.

What had they done to him?

The Wraith with the red hair was speaking to the Colonel, but Teyla wasn’t close enough to hear what she was talking about. She saw him defiantly look at her then say something to the Wraith. Suddenly, she reached out, putting her hand on his chest.

The Colonel screamed again.

Quickly, she aimed her P-90 and fired at the creature that was holding Sumner. The shot hits its mark, but it didn’t distract the Wraith as Teyla thought it would. The female Wraith looked around, trying to determine where the bullets came from, but didn’t move away from the Colonel. Teyla turned her fire to the guard standing next to the red headed Wraith.

She shot him in the chest two times, causing him to crumble on the ground. She turned her attention to the other guard and shot him squarely in the shoulder. He fell back, unable to keep his balance. Once he was on the ground, she fired one more shot to make sure he didn’t get up again.

Teyla aimed the P-90 at the Wraith woman again. Before she pulled the trigger, she looked at Sumner who had somehow gotten even older. It seemed as though the Wraith was literally sucking the life out of him.

Sumner made eye contact with her, holding her gaze. He nodded at her, pleading silently for an act of mercy from her.

Kill me, his eyes begged.

Teyla paused, unable to convince herself to squeeze the trigger. Shooting a fellow officer went against everything she stood for; it meant she thought there was no hope for him. No, she thought stubbornly, there had to be a way to save him.

The Wraith hissed again as she continued to drain his life.

“Please,” he mouthed, wanting his suffering to end.

She froze, unable to give him his request. Adjusting her gun slightly, Teyla closed her eyes and fired. Her aim was perfect; the bullet pierced the Wraith in the chest.

That caused the Wraith Keeper to turn around and face her. She snarled at her. Before Teyla could shoot her again, she heard heavy footsteps behind her.

Then, the world went black.

*******************

When Teyla opened her eyes, she was greeted by the disturbing view of a Wraith guard. He was holding her down on the table by her neck, making it unable for her to move. She shifted her gaze around, but only saw a darkened ceiling.

Lorne was right, she thought humorlessly, she did suck at rescue missions.

Somewhere to the side of her, she heard Sumner groaning in pain.

She turned her gaze to the female wraith, noticing she was still bleeding from where she had shot her in the hand. To her surprise, the Wraith held her hand up; the wound was healing before their eyes.

What kind of creatures were these?

The Wraith leaned forward and pulled out the life signs detector from Teyla’s pocket. She studied it for a second. Hey eyes narrowed as she realized where the device had come from.

“How did this come to you?” she demanded.

Despite being scared, Teyla would not let her intimation show. “I do not recall,” she replied.

The Wraith snarled again. She raised her hand; Teyla knew that she had better come to terms with aging quickly.

Suddenly, the guard who was holding her down was shot in the head. Teyla rolled away from the table and the continued gunfire, as the other guards fell to the ground. She looked up to the window she had been as she grabbed her radio.

Lieutenant Ford had found her.

She pressed the button on the radio. “Set off the C$ now, Sgt.,” she ordered.

As Ford continued to fire at the guards entering the room, she reached down and grabbed the long, spear-like gun from one of the corpses. The redheaded Wraith turned back towards her, her hand raised high.

Before the Wraith could attack, she rammed the spear through her chest, making it come through the other side. The Wraith gasped, looking down at the spear inside her. It was almost as though she couldn’t believe Teyla had managed to wound her.

“Not even you could survive that,” Teyla said, out of breath. She pulled it out of the Wraith and watched her fall to the ground.

The guards had been cleared out and Ford had made his way down to the floor level. He scanned the room, looking for any other Wraith as he walked to her.

“How did you find me?” she asked.

“Tread marks. Standard issue,” Ford answered simply. He looked around the room, not liking how out in the open they were. “Ma’am, we need to go.”

Before they could walk away, the Wraith keeper was lying on the floor, writhing in pain. “You don’t know what you have done. We are merely caretakers for those that sleep. When I die, the others will wake.” She gasped as the pain overwhelmed her. “All of them.”

She laughed evilly. “You will pay for what you have done.” Then she breathed her last breath.

Now that the Wraith was dead, Teyla put down the spear and grabbed her life signs detector. She had a feeling they were going to need it when they escaped.

“What’s she talking about? How many are left?” Ford wondered.

Teyla looked at the readout. Numerous dots began to appear on the screen. They were outnumbered. She looked up at the high ceilings, realizing what exactly was what above them.

It was a hive of some kind. The ceiling was honeycombed with hundred of cells. Based on the readout in front of her, each one contained a Wraith.

Ford handed her a pistol, realizing the seriousness of their situation. “Ma’am, we need to leave. Now.”

Teyla nodded, grabbing the firearm. “Bates,” she said into the radio, “we are evacuating.”

“So are we, Ma’am. Did you get Colonel Sumner?” asked Bates.

Teyla looked at the aged man, heavily breathing. “Yes, Sergeant, but it may take us a while to get back to the Jumper. The Colonel has been…injured by the Wraith,” she answered.

Ford looked Sumner as they lifted him up, allowing him to use their bodies like crutches. “What happened to him?” he asked, knowing the Colonel was in no position to talk.

Teyla shook her head, not wanting to talk about it in front of Sumner. “Not now, Lieutenant. We need to get back to the others.”

Slowly, Ford and Teyla made their way out of the large room, trying to make their way to the entrance. They followed their boot prints through the darkened hallways. As they turned a corner, several shots from the Wraith’s energy weapons were fired.

“Duck!“ Teyla called.

Fortunately, the guard’s aim was off and the energy bursts hit the wall behind them. Teyla had a feeling the next time they wouldn’t be so lucky.

They lowered themselves to the floor. Carefully, they leaned Sumner against the wall.

“Wait here,“ she whispered as she looked down the hallway. There was a single guard, aiming again at the two of them. Quickly, she raised her pistol and fired directly at the guard, shooting him twice in the chest.

“Good shot,“ Ford said as the creature crumpled to the ground.

She nodded as they lifted up Sumner again.

“Leave me here,” Sumner muttered. “I’m holding you back.”

Teyla shook her head. “We will be fine, sir.”

They continued their way through the darkened corridors. Ford shot another Wraith that was near the entrance of the structure. Finally, they saw the sunlight peeking through the entrance. They had made it out.

The group of escapees was waiting for them. Together, they went through the woods, knowing soon the Wraith would send out their fighter ships. “We must hurry,” Teyla said to Ford.

“Major,” Teyla said to Bates, “your priority is to get everyone to the ship. They are not going to take you again. The Jumper is over the hill. Stackhouse will be waiting for you. The Lieutenant and I will provide some distraction.””

Bates nodded as he hoisted Sumner over his shoulder. “Let’s go, people,” he shouted.

She grabbed her radio, activating the comm. channel. “Emmagan to Jumper.”

“Stackhouse here. Go ahead, Ma‘am.”

“We have a big problem,” she said as she cut through a clearing. “We have retrieved the others and are on our way back. I need everyone to be prepared for an immediate departure.”

“Understood.”

“Lieutenant,” she said to Ford. “You and I need to distract the Wraith. We need to give the others time to reach the jumper,” Teyla ordered. “I am going to the Jumper, to get some more firepower. You need to draw them away from the ship.”

Ford nodded. “Will do.”

Teyla ran ahead, keeping an eye open for any Wraith ships.

Soon, she approached the Jumper. Teyla took a rifle from the closest Marine. “Wait here. The others will be here soon.”

Teyla ran through the forest as a Wraith fighter flew overhead. She aimed, firing at the ship. She hit it several times, causing it to lose control and crash into the ground.

Fifty yards ahead of her, Ford and Johnathyn were ducking behind a large tree, trying to get cover from the shots the Wraith ship was firing. She made her way forward and fired at the other fighter. Smoke began spilling out of the back of the ship.

“Thank you, ma’am,” Ford said as he and Johnathyn made their way to her.

“We are even,” she said.

The three of them ran towards the Jumper, entering through the rear hatch. The other Marines came in as she sat at the controls.

“We got incoming fighters!” Stackhouse yelled.

She nodded, focusing on getting out of there. The Jumper responded quickly to her commands, rising and cloaking almost instantly. As they entered flew up, Teyla looked back at her passengers.

“Is everyone alright?” she asked.

Johnathyn nodded as he looked at the others. “We’re fine.”

Bates frowned. “I don’t know how much time he has left,” he replied, nodding towards the Colonel.

Ford walked forward, taking a seat besides Teyla. “I hope that was the hard part,” he said.

They exited the planet’s atmosphere, entering into space. Several Wraith ships were ahead of them, flying around. She looked ahead to the Stargate where at least a handful of fighters were waiting for them.

“Unfortunately, Lieutenant, I do not believe we have gotten to the hard part yet,” Teyla replied, her eyes not leaving the screen.

Johnathyn stood up, entering the front part of the cabin. “Crap,” he said, looking at the ships, “what are you going to do?”

“We’re safe as long as they can’t see us,” replied Ford. He shrugged. “At least we have that advantage.”

Teyla shook her head slightly. “They do not have to see us. There is only one way which we can escape. The minute we begin to dial the Gate, they will start shooting blind and hit us on our approach,” she said, frowning.

“Then how do we get through?” wondered Ford.

Teyla knew they were trapped; she had no idea where the closest Stargate was or even if the Jumper had enough power to fly to one. She thought for a few seconds. “We should draw then away from the Gate, and then double back,” she decided.

She decloaked the Jumper, hoping the plan would work. The fighters started moving away from the Gate when they saw the Jumper, pursuing them. The Wraith started shooting at them almost instantly. The cabin shook slightly as they took a direct hit.

“Well, at least the ship has some kind of shields,” remarked Ford.

She nodded. “Be prepared to dial the Gate on my mark,” she told Ford.

Behind her, Johnathyn was watching every move carefully.

Teyla focused on dodging the fire coming from the Wraith ships. It was becoming increasingly more difficult; they were concentrating their fire on the Jumper‘s engines. “Do you see anything like a weapons console over there?” she asked Ford.

The Jumper answered her. Right away, the ship’s systems fired off a drone, like the one she had seen in Antarctica. They watched as the drone flew towards the closest Wraith fighter. On impact, the drone exploded the ship.

“Try to go invisible again,” suggested Ford.

“I tried,” Teyla answered, shaking her head, “It must have gotten damaged when we got hit. Dial the Gate.”

She flew the Jumper closer to the Gate where two Wraith ships were still guarding it. Teyla fired a group of drones at one of the ships, destroying it. She guided the Jumper around the debris.

“Get ready to punch in your code on the next pass.”

Ford nodded as he took out his G.D.O., preparing to dial his IDC. “What’s the range on these things?” he wondered aloud.

Teyla raised her eyebrows. “We will soon find out.”

Again, she swung the Jumper towards the Stargate. Quickly, the drones destroyed the other ship protecting the Gate.

Now that the area had been cleared, Teyla focused on trying to outrun the Wraith ships that were closing in on their position. The screen showed her a rear view; there were three ships behind her, shooting at the jumper.

“Enter your code,” she told Ford. She turned back slightly to the others in the Jumper. “Hang on, everyone!”

Despite trying to get a lead on the Wraith fighters, Teyla had to shift the Jumper around, dodging the fire. Finally, Teyla was able to straighten out and fly the Jumper straight towards the Gate.

“We’re going too fast,” Ford said nervously.

“I know,” Teyla replied.

She approached into the event horizon with enormous speed. As they entered the Gate, she commanded the ship to shut down its engines. She only hoped the Jumper’s systems would have enough time to process her request before they went flying through the control room.

When they arrived at Atlantis, the Jumper raced through the Gate. Teyla grabbed the console, bracing for the impact, but the Jumper managed to stop before it collided with the walls in the gate room. Everyone remained still for a few moments, coming to terms with the fact they had somehow survived.

“That was too close,” Ford muttered, looking around the cabin.

Teyla allowed herself a brief smile as the Jumper began to rise, automatically returning back to the jumper bay. “Yes, Lieutenant, it was. But, at least we made it back.” She looked back to the Colonel who was hardly able to draw a breath. “Some better than others.”

******  
Teyla did not want to be here.

Instead, she would rather be in her quarters, mediating, trying to bring some sense to the past 48 hours. Instead, thanks to Elizabeth’s insistence that she be there, Teyla was standing in the corner of a large balcony, watching everyone in the room, not feeling particularly festive.

Despite Carson’s best efforts, there was no way that he could reverse the aging that had occurred. Left with no other option, the doctor put the Colonel in a stasis pod, hoping that all some later time he could come up with a solution.

Carson assured her that he was in no pain and, thanks to her effort, maybe someday they would be able to restore Sumner to his former self.

Teyla shook herself out of her thinking as she heard Carson walking up to her with Rodney close behind him. “Major,” he greeted with a half-smile.

“Good evening,” she said quietly.

He looked at her for a few seconds, his gaze staying on the bandage on her forehead. “How’s the head doing?”

Teyla shrugged; she had been berating herself for her actions on the Wraith ship, she hadn’t thought much of her injuries. “It is doing as well as could be expected,” she answered.

“That’s good,” Carson replied. “Come down to the infirmary in a few days and we’ll see about getting those stitches out.”

Teyla nodded. “I will, Doctor.”

Rodney stepped forward. “Major, if you have time, there is this lab that Zelenka and his team found. We think it might--”

“Rodney,” Carson interrupted. “Dr. Weir made it specifically clear. There is to be no experiments tonight. We are to relax, remember?”

Rodney rolled his eyes. “Yes, I remember.” He looked at Teyla. “I’ll meet with you after breakfast tomorrow.”

“All right, Dr. McKay,” she said. She nodded to both men and walked out to the middle of the room. She crossed the room to where Ford was standing.

“I guess this is home now,” Ford said, looking around.

“I suppose it is,” Teyla replied thoughtfully.

Sensing her pensive mood, Ford joked, “I’m thinking of a little place with an ocean view. Out of the way.”

Teyla offered a slight smile. She appreciated the young man’s attempt to lighten the mood, but she couldn’t move pass what had happened to the Colonel. One minute he was a proud solider, the next he was one step away from his grave.

Elizabeth approached them from behind. “Major, Lieutenant,” she greeted, holding up mugs for the two of them. “I thought the occasion merited opening this. Compliments of General O’Neill.”

Teyla took the cup from Elizabeth. “Cheers,” she said, happiness not entering her voice.

Noticing her demeanor, Elizabeth turned towards her. “You did good, Teyla,” she said, trying to assure her.

“I do not know if I believe that,” responded Teyla, looking away.

“Hey,” Elizabeth argued, “you managed to rescue nearly every person who was taken by the Wraith. From what I heard from the Athosians, that has never been done before.”

Teyla drew in a deep breath, trying to move pass the guilt of not being able to rescue Sumner from being tortured and unleashing a dangerous new enemy. “I want to apologize, Dr. Weir. You were right. I have made things much worse. There is an enemy who will actively be seeking us and I have not made us many more friends,” she admitted.

“No?” Elizabeth asked, turning towards the Athosians milling around the room. “Look around you.”

The Athosians were walking around, talking to those in the expedition. She saw Jinto running around with several other young children. Dafyd was standing near Zelenka, talking animatedly about something.

“I have to agree with her, Major,” Johnathyn said with a smile. He stood in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders, bowing his head forward.

She mimicked his movements, leaning her forehead against his. A moment later he pulled back.

“It’s our way of saying you‘ve earn our friendship,” he explained with a grin. “Don’t worry,” he said to them, “with our help, you’ll have many more friends.” He nodded towards Elizabeth. “Dr. Weir is right. No one has ever been saved after they have been culled by the Wraith. When people hear able this, they will feel hope. That’s something we haven’t had in a long time.”

Teyla smiled sincerely. “Thank you.”

He nodded as he walked away.

“One more thing, Major,” Elizabeth called as Teyla started to turn around. “Something I’d like for you to sleep on. I have a few thoughts on it myself, but…”

Teyla was confused. “Thoughts about what?”

“Who the members of your team might be,” Elizabeth replied simply.

Teyla couldn’t believe what Elizabeth was suggesting. “My team?”

“Well,” Elizabeth replied with a smile, “you are the ranking military officer now, or do you need to be reminded of that? We need to get back out there…do what we came to do.”

Teyla walked with her as she gazed at the expansive ocean in front of them. “You do know that I I will do things in a way that Colonel Sumner would not.”

Elizabeth smiled. “I knew that when I invited you on the expedition, Major. Don’t wait too long though. We need to start getting out there and developing some alliances.”

Teyla looked around and spotted Ford and Johnathyn who were talking to Rodney. Rodney, for his part, was rolling his eyes at something the young Lieutenant has said and was busy correcting him.

Though her heart ached for the familiar presence of Evan and Halling, Teyla knew she needed to move on from her past. They weren’t anything like her former comrades, but there was something about the three men that Teyla knew would make a good team.

She turned to Elizabeth, a slight smile on her face. “I think I will have a decision ready for you soon, Dr. Weir.”

****************


End file.
